Sun, Moon and Love
by The Golden Dragon Lord
Summary: Danielle has traveled the world several times, taken down multiple enemies, and has learned the Magic of Friendship, but can she face her past? After so long, she reunites with her beloved princesses, but will it end in a happily ever after? My female human OC in Equestria because how often do human girls end up there?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: don't own anything but Danielle and this should be a different take on the human in Equestria story I already have here.**

(First Person)

It's always strange to go back to your first home, or at least, that's what I think. Then again, my first home is long gone by now so I guess this is my second that I'm going back to, even if it's not for very long.

This job shouldn't take too long, maybe a few months, and then I'll be out of the country again and back to doing whatever I want to do.

Wish I could remember what I liked doing after not occupying my time with them for so long.

Looking around my surroundings now, I have to admit that the train compartment is nice. Much nicer than they were when they were first being created…again, to my perspective, anyway. The various ponies seated in the car were either talking, reading, relaxing or sometimes looking in my direction and shivering slightly.

I suppose I can understand why they would be nervous around me. I was wearing a long dark cloak with silver adornments with the hood up to hide my face, as well as black boots and gloves to completely hide my figure. **(AN: think of the Organization XIII cloaks).**

Still, hiding my face and body was the best way I could think of to keep the ponies from being even more afraid of me. After all, how common are humans in Equestria?

I'll answer that. One. I'm the only human still alive on this world of ponies, griffins and other species.

Taking a deep breath as I tried not to dwell on that fact, I crossed my arms and relaxed deeper into my seat, trying not to think of anything. Clearing my mind was something I was relatively good at after so long and it helped me relax for a good few minutes.

Still, the fact that I had been requested for a position in a town close to the capital of Equestria, a town close to…them, made me both nervous and anxious, though no one would be able to tell even if I wasn't hiding my expressions under a hood.

Dear sweet Equestria, I hadn't seen those two in so long. Would they recognize me if we met?

Stupid question, of course they would.

My world was shattered over a millennia ago and my mind was still at war with itself. What would happen if we met again? What would happen if we didn't?

It's a funny thing. My heart is telling me that meeting them would be the best thing to ever happen to me after our fateful departure over a thousand years ago. My head is telling me that this whole thing is a bad idea and I should just walk away, find a job elsewhere and avoid going anywhere near those two.

Ah, the age old argument; heart or the mind? Who is right and which would lead me to a better future? This ancient debate will not be settled today as I have no clue which side to follow, which stance would be better in the long run.

Isn't that always the way until something happens to push one over the other? Sadly, I have no sense of an epiphany and I doubt one will be occurring within the next several hours.

For some reason, staying in Griffonia seemed like a much better idea now. Sadly, they didn't need me anymore and this town I'm going to does, so that's where I'm heading.

This train is scheduled to arrive at my stop in a few hours, but it seems like much longer by the time we finally get there.

"Attention passengers, we have arrived in Ponyville. Please disembark if this is your stop and collect any personal belongings as you leave. Our next stop is Trottingham. Thank you and have a nice day."

I nodded to the porters as they saw me standing and I took my one bag, a backpack that I had had for a long time now. It was enchanted to be much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside, feather light and to be completely unbreakable. No amount of magic could destroy my bag or the contents with all of the protections I put on it.

Not surprisingly, when I stepped off of the train and onto the station platform, the town was covered in about two feet of snow. It was the dead of winter and it was much colder in the land of the griffins so it didn't bother me as much as it could have, but I still wanted to get inside as soon as possible.

The various ponies near me giving me a wide berth, probably thinking I was some minotaur or something with my bipedal figure and size, I headed for the town proper.

My eyes traveled over everything as I made my trip to the Town Hall. It was hard to ignore the atmosphere around here and I don't mean the temperature.

While the buildings were actually rather tastefully done, the locals were clearly worried about something. After so long reading a pony's expressions, it wasn't hard to tell that the general mood of the town was nervous, anxious, even if on the outside the locals _seemed_ happy and content with their lives. I had learned a while ago that ponies were terrible liars with worse poker faces. The ponies living here were scared, anxious, afraid about something.

Something that would have me to deal with if I had anything to say about it.

As I walked, I had to muse why, why did I care so much?

These were ponies, not humans like myself. Yes, they were sentient and were currently the dominant species on the planet, but they were not like me. After all these centuries, all of the things I had been through, all of the horrible things I had seen, experienced and done, I still cared about a small town filled with ponies.

Why did I care, though? Was my heart just unwilling to become cold and devoid of emotion? Did I seek acceptance from them, despite that my very appearance was enough to make ponies just like these cower in fear? Or was it left over from…them?

I had no answers and only more questions.

Maybe I just wanted to help a group that couldn't help themselves, or maybe I thought I would feel guilty knowing that I had the power to stop something and didn't because of selfish reasons.

Such an old and forgotten saying, but I completely agree. With great power, comes great responsibility.

I don't know if that is the reason I do the things I do, but it makes me feel slightly better thinking it.

Taking in the town to give my eyes something to do, I had to admit that it was a quaint little place. Not large by any standards and probably only big enough to house a few hundred residents, but it has a nice friendly feel to it. If it wasn't so close to Canterlot, I might have thought of settling down here for a while.

The locals around me didn't react much to my presence other than moving away with worried expressions. Not like there were many locals out and about anyway, what with so much snow on the ground and the cold temperature. Many businesses were closed for the day with a few exceptions here and there so I had a pretty clear path to the Town Hall, which was a moderately sized building in the center of town.

"Help! Somepony!"

Stopping, my ears perked at the voice coming from nearby. Blinking for a moment to make sure I wasn't hearing things, I looked down an alleyway between what looked to be a fabric shop and a blade sharpening one. Down the alleyway was a pure white unicorn with a curled purple mane currently fighting with some armed thug trying to steal her purse. The thug was a unicorn as well and completely unremarkable other than him wearing some dark hoodie.

Looking around, I saw that no one was either hearing the struggle or they were ignoring it. My money was on no one knowing what was going on as small towns like this had quite a few caring neighbors that would help at a moment's notice.

"Let go of my bag, ruffian. This was signed by Sapphire Shores, herself!"

"All the more reason to take it," said the thug, smirking.

I had to admit, the mare's voice was actually pretty pleasant to hear. Very upper class for such a small town and I had to take a moment to wonder if she was merely here visiting or if she lived here. Sadly, my musings were cut short when the thug pulled out a switchblade from his hoodie and extended the blade, making the mare gasp in surprise.

Sighing gently to myself, I didn't waste any more time before I entered the alleyway myself.

"You really don't want to do that, buddy."

Both ponies stopped for a moment and turned to look at me, the mare scared that she might have another to contend with and the thug confused and angry that there was a witness.

"Back away from the mare and leave, or I'll get violent."

The thug rolled his eyes and went back to what he was doing before, pressing his knife close to the mare's neck with his magic, making her whimper in fear. "I'm sure."

"Well, I tried," I shrugged, seeing that he was doing this the hard way. I smirked, even if no one could see it, and I rushed forward. Too fast for the normal eye to follow, the thug was suddenly upside down, hanging by his short tail and pinned against a wall. The mare blinked, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"Hey, what the…let me go!"

I held out my hand and the switchblade levitated into my hand, blade still extended as I looked at it, not letting the stallion move. "Not a bad blade. Seven inches, made of stainless steel with the handle made of ebony." I turned the blade over for a moment. "Your choice. Horn or testicles, this blade should make quick work of either."

The stallion's eyes bugged out beyond the blood rushing to his head, unable to pale with so much blood displacement. "You're crazy!"

"I'm not the one who tried to rob a mare a block away from Town Hall," I responded dryly. "Now, apologize or don't, I don't care. You got one strike against me. Get three and I'll use this knife the way I want to use it."

I stepped back and the stallion fell onto the ground head first, making him wince in pain. As much as he wanted to do something, anything, to this strange character that had just appeared out of nowhere to stop what would have been a simple theft, just one thought was running through his mind.

 _'_ _Gotta get out of here!'_

Without apologizing or trying to get his knife back, he galloped off, leaving the mare and myself in the alleyway. I snorted and pocketed the knife, figuring I might have a use for it later and turned to leave. My job was done and I was sure the mare would be fine now.

"Thank you for your assistance," said the white and purple unicorn mare, following me out of the alleyway. "Caught me by surprise before I could truly defend myself."

I nodded but I blinked when a light blue glow surrounded my hood before it was pulled back, revealing my face to the mare I had just saved. I sighed as I saw the mare look…interested? That was a new one.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you, darling?"

I shook my head and figured it would be pointless to put my hood back up now that she had already seen my face. I happened to like it but most ponies had never seen a human before and tended to be scared of me before getting to know me. Still, I liked my heart shaped face, dark auburn hair that currently fell to my waist and hazel eyes.

"I just need to get to Town Hall, miss," I said, trying to imply that I didn't want or need anything from her and I needed to go.

"Oh, yes, of course," said the mare, now looking a little disappointed that she couldn't thank me properly. "In any case, if you need any help at all, just remember that I am Rarity at the Carousal Boutique."

I could tell that she was putting on a brave face due to my complete black wardrobe and was just pretending to not notice it, but I had to admit that she at least didn't say anything about it. Nor about myself being a different species than her.

I finally nodded and left, hearing her mutter something about needing to see Sweetie Belle or something as we headed in different directions.

Entering Town Hall didn't take much longer after that and I took note of the simple but practical lobby I entered. The warmth from the cold outside was much needed and I suspected that a unicorn had cast a spell to keep the building warm no matter the weather outside.

I hadn't put my hood back on, but I figured I might as well school my features to become emotionless so I didn't have to bother with it. Clearing my mind had become easier as the years went on and I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

Just one more reason I'm not sure if I'm still human or not at this point.

The secretary at the desk looked fairly bored as she filled in paperwork but looked up as I approached. I could see it when she saw my face and who I was before I even got within an arm's reach from her desk. The usual polite look on the mare's face turned nervous, her eyes widened and I could distinctly smell a faint aroma of sweat coming in her direction. She licked her lips and I could tell the smile she put in place was clearly fake, but I ignored it.

"Greetings, do you have an appointment with somepony or need directions somewhere? How can I help you today?"

Someone's nervous, but at least she wasn't afraid for her life. That had happened more than once by just talking to some random pony.

"I have an appointment with someone named Mayor Mare today," I said with as little emotion in my voice as possible. I'm not heartless, but I'm not very polite to those that are afraid of me before meeting me. "She didn't give me a time frame, however."

The mare in front of me nodded and started flipping through what looked to be a day planner. She nodded after only a few seconds of looking. "Yes, she cleared most of her day to meet with you. I'll go ask if she's-"

"Amasmytht, where's that coffee I told you to make earlier?" The newcomer was an older mare who walked into the room, looking patiently resigned to her lack of caffeine. She had a tan coat with a silver mane, glasses worn on her snout while her cutie mark was a rolled piece of parchment.

The secretary had the grace to blush, not that it was overly visible with her dark purple coat. "I'll, uh, get it right away, Miss Mare. Oh, and your appointment is here."

She scampered off, probably to some break room for the beverage in question. The mayor sighed fondly before turning to me. If she was surprised or worried to see that I was a human, she hid it extremely well. "My apologies about her. Very good at her job but a barista she will never be. Now then, my office and schedule is free, so please, join me."

I shrugged and followed the earth pony through a door to the left and behind the secretary's desk and entered the mayor's office. As expected by now, it was simple and practical as it was just a medium sized room with a large desk in the center, several filing cabinets along the walls with a couple of knickknacks scattered around to make it seem more inviting.

The one thing that looked very out of place in the room, however, was a filly playing with some cheap toys in the corner. The unicorn filly felt just as out of place as she looked, apparently, as she only played half heartedly, clearly wanting to be somewhere else. The young pony's coat was a brilliant spring green while her mane was more of an emerald shade.

Raising my eyebrow slightly at the filly's appearance, I mentally shrugged and slung my backpack next to the chair in front of the desk, taking a seat. The mayor sighed slightly as she sat down as well, looking at me with a questioning look, her hooves in front of her and resting on the desk.

After several long moments of simply staring at each other, the mayor finally moved a file from one side of her desk and opened it. "Danielle Potter, only human in the world and not been sighted in Equestria in recent memory. Traveling problem solver as you have been recorded in helping almost every country and kingdom in the world. Last seen in Griffonia where you aided the griffins against the dragons in their latest war. Rose to the rank of three star general before the war ended."

I smiled slightly. "I remember being told that I would have risen higher if the war had lasted any longer."

Mayor Mare smiled slightly and turned a page in the file. "I have in this file over thirty recommendations from multiple rulers, kings, queens, princes, princesses, tsars, emperors, feudal lords and other types of leaders of why anyone should hire you. That is precisely why I wanted you for this position when I heard what you have done." She looked up from the file and looked into my eye. "I'm not going to mince words, Miss Potter. Ponyville might seem like another small town with an equally small population, but things happen here on a regular basis that require us to rebuild the place all the time. This town has been over run by everything from parasprites to traveling show mares to even an ursa minor. Just a few months ago, a rampaging magic stealing centaur blew up our library and destroyed a good portion of the town before the local librarian beat him. Now we have news that random ponies on the street are either being killed or kidnapped and I don't like it. We need a town guardian and if I can get the best, than I will do my utmost to try."

I frowned slightly as I had heard of the various stories of kidnappings and murders. I didn't like it as much as anyone else did, but I didn't have any reason to stop them until now. I hadn't been here in Equestria in so long that I kind of stopped caring about what happened here if I could avoid it.

Before I could say anything, the mayor continued. "I know that being the guardian of a small town is a big downgrade from your last job, and I am willing to compensate you-"

She stopped when I held out my hand and faintly smiled. "Miss Mayor, I have enough bits in the bank to never need to work for at least several hundred years, possibly longer, even if I spend it haphazardly. I don't care about money. What I do care about, however, are ponies being attacked and taken or killed. This might be the way to find out what is happening or it might not be, but if I can protect a town's worth of ponies by taking this job, than I'll do it." As I was talking, I tried to ignore, with some amusement, that the strange filly was poking through my bag, obviously curious. Only I could get some of the really dangerous things in there so I wasn't too worried.

The mayor's face sighed in relief but I frowned slightly again. "This town is very close to Canterlot. Wouldn't the princesses send someone if you asked them?"

"True, but they're busy most of the time and I would have no idea of their qualifications. You, however, who has a very extensive list of rulers backing you, from various different species and races…well, I would be a fool not to want you."

I smiled slightly, idly noting how the filly had stuck almost her entire body into my backpack, only her tail sticking out.

I hummed slightly as I tried to word my next question, but the door opened to reveal the secretary from before, a steaming cup of coffee in her magical aura. "Coffee, Miss Mayor."

Mayor Mare sighed and took the cup, rolling her eyes in the process. "Thank you, miss Amasytht."

Before the other mare could leave, I had to ask something. "What about your local princess? I heard something about that. Wouldn't she be magically powerful enough to deal with any threat to the town?"

Both mares snorted in amusement. "While I have every bit of faith in Twilight Sparkle," said the purple mare, smirking now, "I doubt her capacity to fix every problem."

Mayor Mare nodded with another eye roll. "I remember when she first got here and while she has come a long way since then, I still recall when she created more problems than she fixed."

"Twilight is responsible for the town almost being destroyed a few times," said the other mare, nodding in remembrance.

They both muttered something that sounded like _Spikezilla_ , but as I wasn't privy to that incident, I decided to stay silent. While I watched both mares groan over that incident, I turned down to see the little filly finish looking around in my bag and look up at me, probably trying to figure out what I was.

I can't help it. Little fillies and colts always made me break through any façade I was using at the time and forced me to smile. The filly didn't look scared of me, more curious questioning than anything else and I had to give my first true smile all day, which made her relax slightly more. Moving slowly so she could move away if she wanted, I raised my hand and slowly started to pet her, stroking the filly's head and neck with soft movements.

The filly had looked worried for a moment but after I had started, her eyes, which were a light orange, widened in surprise before she relaxed, muttering words under her breath as I continued to pet her. Smiling some more, I shifted my hand so it was now scratching her ears and I don't think I had ever heard a filly coo in delight more than at that moment. By now her eyes were closed, mentally demanding that I keep going.

I don't really like how I get the occasional thought from others when I'm not guarding against it. A filly that would have no mental barriers would be fair game for me when I'm not actively trying to scan her thoughts.

In any case, I looked back to the mayor and found that the secretary had left again, leaving us alone in the room again.

"If I were to take the job, what would be the situation with housing?"

The mayor smiled and rummaged for something in a desk drawer. "We don't have anything in the way of hotels, I'm afraid. Ponyville is so small that it's almost pointless to have one. I do, however, know of a nice sized house for rent that I'm willing and ready to give you." She pulled out a key and put it on the desk between us. "Now, as for the filly here…"

"I was wondering about that," I commented lightly, still petting the filly behind the ears, though I could tell she was listening too now that she was being mentioned.

The mayor sighed and her eyes turned downcast, which didn't put me in the greatest of moods for this part of the conversation. "Riley here is the lone survivor from an attack on the outskirts of Ponyville. We ran a background check and found that she has no remaining family and no one wants to adopt her as she is a survivor of the attacks going around."

I raised an eyebrow as I kept petting the filly, Riley, before I frowned slightly. "You want me to adopt her." I didn't even bother to phrase it as a question.

Riley looked up in shock as the mayor started to really smirk, which kind of pissed me off, to be honest. "It would help us and her a great deal if you would, yes."

My eyes narrowed and I leaned back in my chair, Riley staring off into the distance, lost in thought for the moment. "What makes you so sure I would be a good parent?" I was, but that was beside the point.

Mayor Mare tapped my file with her hoof and her smile continued. "You forget I have read all of the recommendations praising you from every ruler and leader in thirty countries here. Most of which say something about you being good with children. The queen of Saddle Arabia even wrote: 'Danielle is so good with fillies and colts that one would be a foal to not think she would be a good mother.' And a quote from King Pyrite from the dragons: 'hatchlings naturally flock toward her and the way she cares for them is truly a blessing to see.' The file also lists all of the other children you have adopted over your long career."

I winced slightly. True, I had adopted fillies, colts, griffins, cats and even a dragon hatchling over the centuries but I wasn't sure if I was ready for it again so soon. My last adoptee, a griffin named Gabriella, had been such a treasure to raise and she had only recently decided to leave the nest, so to speak, and was already trying to find her way in the world. Raising a unicorn filly? I could, but…

Looking down at Riley, it was clear she was taking my silence for a negative and it almost hurt to see her shoulders slumped with disappointment. Frowning for a moment, knowing that I was well and truly trapped, I sighed and looked at the smug and expectant look the mayor was giving me.

"Tricking me into a trap like this, that's a new low for someone to pull on me." I shook my head. "Where are the adoption forms?"

Riley blinked and looked at me again with another look of shock as Mayor Mare gave me the forms already laid out with the filly's information on it. It just needed me to look it over and sign my name. I gave the adult mare a disapproving look before I signed the stupid forms, giving me legal custody of a young unicorn filly. At least reading the information I found that she was nine, almost ten years old with a birthday in late January.

By the time I was done, I had agreed to take care of a young green coated filly.

Mayor Mare smiled as she took the forms back. "I'll have these filed as soon as I can and it will become official by the end of the week. Congratulations. Now, the house in question is quite large. Two stories, five bedrooms and three baths, fairly large backyard, it's fully furnished with food already stocked and it's ready to be moved into at a moment's notice. The pay for this job is three thousand bits a month with another thousand bonus for taking Riley in. Any questions?"

"Do you have a map or directions to the house?" She nodded and gave the directions to the house in question, sliding the key in my direction as she did so. "Thanks. Could you give Riley and I a moment, alone?"

"Of course." Standing, the mayor left her office, leaving me alone with my new ward.

Taking a deep breath, I saw Riley looked nervous, her head down, not sure what to do. I smiled sadly and went back to rubbing the back of her neck, which seemed to calm her down slightly. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Riley bit her lip before she looked back at me, still nervous. "What's going to happen now?"

Dang, she actually had a very cute Irish accent! It wasn't that strong, but it was definitely there. I took another breath and brought her onto my lap fully, making her stiffen for a moment before relaxing slightly. "Riley, I know I don't know you and you don't know me, but I'll be there whenever you want to talk about anything. I'm not your mother and I won't try and replace her, but I promise I will give you as much love as I can, okay?"

Riley gave a shaky breath and leaned into my chest, trembling slightly from fear or nerves, I don't know. "…What are you, anyway?"

"Human. The last one in this world as well. I promise you that I won't hurt you. I've raised fillies before and I know what I'm doing."

She slowly nodded, enjoying the soothing hand slowly running through her mane and coat. "I…I don't know if I can call you mom…"

"Take it at your own pace, sweetheart," I smiled. "I'm not expecting you to call me that either, at least not now."

Riley gave me a nervous smile and it was clear that she was willing to give this a try as much as I was.

Nodding, I made a motion that I was going to stand and she jumped off my lap, allowing me to do so. Looking outside, I saw that the light snowfall that had started when I had entered Town Hall had increased to a full scale blizzard. Frowning, I turned when the door opened to reveal the mayor again.

"Finished?" when I nodded, she continued. "Like I said, the house in question is fully stocked, which includes fire wood for the fire place if you need it. Before doing that, though, might I recommend that you go to the local bakery first? It's on the way and I think Riley could use some food in her."

I nodded slowly and looked at Riley, who did look a bit under nourished.

Getting directions to the bakery as well, we left the office and, making sure that everything was secured in my backpack, threw it back over my shoulders. Then came the daunting task of what to do about the blizzard.

"Uh, Miss Danielle?" said Riley, looking at me nervously about the snow outside. "I, uh…can't really handle the cold."

I gave that some consideration before I nodded in an idea. "Come on, you." Opening my coat, I picked up Riley and stowed her inside, her small body just tiny enough to fit. "That should help."

Riley was clearly surprised by the action but didn't really complain about the cold when we got outside, giving the mayor one last word of thanks.

 **(Third POV)**

Danielle started moving through the blizzard in a brisk pace, not wanting to be outside in this weather as much as possible. She could endure it just fine but the filly in her coat would not for too long.

Riley swallowed as she huddled into her new guardian's chest, already shivering from the snow. It wasn't as bad as she suspected, the human's clothes good at warding away the cold, but she still felt terrible in this weather.

The little filly didn't really know what to make of this whole situation. The human she was clinging to had been nice to her so far and she had to admit, she did like the way she had called her sweetheart earlier, but she was right, they didn't know much about each other yet.

She was careful of letting herself trust again as the last time she had done so, she had been hurt badly, as had her mother. But now that she was gone…she tried not to think about that, just wanting to stay away from the freezing cold weather.

She could tell that Danielle was powerful. Some unicorns having a sense of being able to tell how much magical power someone had, but she had no idea by how much or if Danielle was even a good person. True, she had seemed nice in the office of the stuffy earth pony lady, but she had no clue if Danielle could be trusted.

Danielle could feel Riley shiver under her coat, trying to warm herself in the powerful snow flurry around them. Mentally sighing at the poor weather, Danielle channeled magic from her into the little filly clutching to her, keeping her from getting too cold.

After several long minutes where Riley was sure she would freeze if she were out much longer, they found the bakery in question. It was a nice looking place that was built to look like a gingerbread house covered in icing and candy. The sign over the front door said it was 'Sugarcube Corner.'

Opening the door, Danielle saw that the place was fairly well packed with locals of all three pony races, mostly mares. Ponyville was a mostly mare dominated town so it wasn't that surprising.

The inside of the bakery was much warmer and Riley poked her head out of Danielle's coat to look around, probably tempted by the scent of pastries and other treats like all fillies.

The moment Danielle entered and the closest ponies saw her make her way through the shop toward a free table, she could hear the whispers and murmurs. It probably didn't help she was dressed in all black, but she ignored it as much as possible.

Still, she had to hear at least some of what the locals were saying.

"What is that? A hairless monkey?"

"Never seen one of those before."

"Think it's sentient?"

"Poor filly, stuck with that thing."

It was a little known fact but some ponies were extremely racist, with those from small towns and communities being the worst. By all rights, Ponyville wouldn't even be worthy of a train station if it wasn't so close to the capital.

It seemed that Riley was either too focused on getting some food in her or she just didn't hear the murmurs as she didn't react to them. There was only one free table in the whole place and it was a standard booth so Danielle calmly opened her coat enough for the filly to jump out, only shivering slightly from the cold outside.

At least the locals that hadn't seen Riley before now looked surprised to see her, which shut them up for a moment.

Standing on the seat beside the table, Riley nervously looked at Danielle, who sat down heavily across from her newly adopted daughter. "Uh, Miss Danielle?"

"Hmm?"

"I, uh, have to use the bathroom."

Stopping what she was doing for a moment, Danielle nodded. "I see one over there," she nodded toward the public restroom at the back of the bakery. "Need any help or can you handle it yourself?"

Riley raised an eyebrow. "I can manage." With that, she zoomed off toward the bathroom, causing Danielle to smile at the cute scene she had made.

With that small crises averted, Danielle leaned back in her seat, trying to relax as much as she could when the entire building was staring at her.

While a loving mother and wife, Cupcake, the co-owner of the bakery and current waitress, had no interest in taking the stranger's order. When she had first seen the strange figure, she had first thought of minotaurs, but the body type, while similar, was too different to equal one. Not to mention the entirely black outfit she was wearing was more than a little intimidating.

Still, Cupcake swallowed and made her way toward the newcomer, ready to either take a customer's order or run depending on what would happen when she approached.

Approaching the lone bipedal figure still sitting alone at the booth, she smiled as much as she could. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, how can I help you?"

Danielle could tell that the mare next to her was nervous, but ignored it like it was second nature to her, which it was by now. She hummed slightly before answering. "If you have one, I'll take a large cinnamon roll, a blueberry muffin and can I ask if you sell real food as well as pastries?"

Cupcake frowned. "We mostly specialize in pastries but I might be able to arrange something."

Danielle nodded. "The filly I came in here with hasn't been eating much lately so if you could arrange something, perhaps a salad or rice and vegetables, it would be appreciated."

"I can work something out."

"Do you have any whole pastries for sale?"

"I finished a chocolate cake about an hour ago."

"Perfect, I'll take that on our way out." Danielle pulled out a large handful of bits and put them on the table, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. "Keep the change if it's too much and tell me if it isn't enough."

"Uh," Cupcake blinked as she was sure that the amount on the table was twice as much as the bill would be, but she didn't want to argue with someone over this. "Of course. I'll have your order out as soon as possible."

Danielle nodded and the lone human in the room could tell that Cupcake was both confused and happy about what had happened as she left back into the kitchens. Letting out a slow breath, the red headed human relaxed back into her seat again, looking into the opposite wall as if in deep thought.

About a minute later, Riley came back looking much better. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed everyone in the room still staring at them and started to become uncomfortable. Sitting down, she looked at Danielle questioningly. "Um, why are they staring, Miss Danielle?"

The human next to her smiled sadly. "I'm just different and locals don't like those of other species, apparently. Don't worry about it sweetie." Riley didn't look convinced but slowly shrugged and made herself comfortable. It helped when everyone had heard Danielle and some shifted awkwardly, looking away now as they continued what they had been doing.

Danielle smiled slightly before turning to Riley. "I ordered something for you that you might like. If not, I'm sure we'll find something in our new house you might like instead."

"Uh, I'm sure I'll eat anything you give me," said Riley, honestly too hungry to care what she ate at the moment.

Before either of them could ask or say anything else, a blur got their attention and a pegasus landed next to them. She was probably in her early to mid twenties with a cyan blue coat and a rainbow mane and tail cut in a tomboyish style. She pointed a hoof at Danielle, who blinked at her. "Did that filly say your name was Danielle? As in the same Danielle that won the last five fighting tournaments in Japan? The one who beat the fearsome Minotaur Bronze Strength in hand to hand combat?"

Blinking again, Danielle snorted in amusement. "That Minotaur wasn't that tough, honestly. Yeah, he was strong, but his technique was terrible and he relied too much on his left side."

By now, everyone was paying attention again and the rainbow mare smirked. "Yeah, what ever happened after that? You aren't defending your title?"

"Nah, gave it up a few years ago," said Danielle, relaxing again and the mare looked at her incredulously. "Seriously, I had fun in Japan, but other places needed me more than that and I learned what I wanted from there."

Riley, who had been listening intently, raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Fighting tournament? Where have you been?"

Danielle smiled a real smile and reached into her bag for a moment. Looking for a moment, she pulled out a large album and opened to reveal the multitude of photos inside. "I've been everywhere at least once, Riley." She turned to a specific page and showed it off to her newly adopted daughter. "This is me in Japan when I was learning some new techniques under the Earth pony Burning Aura. He and a griffin friend of his named Scar Claw taught me a lot over the course of a few years there." She turned the page a few times and nodded. "Here's me with King Blood Beak in Griffonia only a few months ago."

"What's that uniform you're wearing?" asked Riley, getting into the photos and pointing.

Danielle chuckled. "That's the Griffin military uniform for the rank of General. Managed to make it to three stars before the war ended and I wasn't needed there anymore. Came over to Ponyville shortly after that."

The rainbow pegasus was about to ask something when Cupcake appeared again and dropped off their food. "Here you are, dear," she said to Riley, who looked ravenously at the steamed rice and vegetables in front of her, but even more so at the muffin placed in front of her. Cupcake then turned to Danielle. "I'll have your other order ready in a moment."

The human nodded with a smile and turned toward her cinnamon roll, which was still warm from the oven and had just the right amount of icing on it.

Riley wasted no time and started on her food, proving that she really hadn't eaten much in a while. Still, her eyes never left her new guardian, who ate at a more sedate pace.

"So," said the rainbow mare, who seemingly refused to leave. "Is it true that you fought and defeated a dragon that was attacking a town?"

"Which time?" asked Danielle between bites, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "That time in Europe when a dragon was ransacking a German town? That dragon in Africa that was holding locals hostage for diamonds?"

The mare blinked, clearly not hearing about those. "No, the one in Japan."

Danielle's eyes narrowed and the air in the room seemed to grow colder to everyone but Riley, who noticed, but didn't feel it herself. The entire room seemed to shudder for a moment and the pegasus swallowed nervously.

"That, is an incident that I won't talk about. Queen Tiamat was not a dragon but a pure monster that refused to see anyone other than her as intelligent or sapient. That's all I'll say on the matter."

The moment she finished, the air seemed to regain its warmth and everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the moment had passed.

Several long moments then passed in an awkward silence before an unexpected newcomer interrupted their temporary reverie. "Hi! You look funny! What are you?"

Everyone turned to face a very unexpected figure. First, the speaker was a filly, a very young one about half Riley's age, so maybe four or five. Second, she was an Alicorn filly, which was supposed to be impossible, but here she was. Danielle saw both the wings and horn and her eye almost twitched in remembrance of better times.

The filly had a pink coat with a curly mass for a mane and tail that was a combination of pink and purple. Her eyes were very innocent and they just had the power to make anyone melt just by looking at them. Though Danielle could tell that something was slightly off…

"Flurry," said a more mature voice and Danielle turned to see another Alicorn that appeared to be an older version of the filly. The red head's eyes widened slightly, taking in this mare's beauty. Something seemed slightly off about her too but she was easily able to ignore it, looking into those magenta eyes of the older mare and mother. "You know that was rude." Looking at Danielle, she gave an apologetic look. "Sorry about her, miss."

Danielle gave her own reassuring smile and the mother in front of her stared into the human's deep and expressive hazel eyes. "No problem, princess." She had known of there being a princess of love that was also an Alicorn, but she had never actually met her or seen what she looked like before now. She was…stunning. She smiled as much as she could and looked at the filly, Flurry. "I'm known as a human and very rare in this world. I'm Danielle, and you?"

The filly, who was currently looking at her inquisitively, smiled as well. "Flurry Heart. I like you!"

Danielle nodded and turned to Riley, who was just finishing her food. "Looks like you have a new friend, Riley."

The green unicorn turned to Flurry Heart and shrugged, not very interested in a young Alicorn.

The rainbow mare looked at the princess of love and nodded to her respectfully. "Princess Cadence."

Cadence smiled at Rainbow before her gaze became fixated on this strange creature in front of her that Flurry seemed to like for some reason. Her daughter might be young, but she was already a good judge of character and was rarely wrong.

Danielle, if that was her name, was so different than anything or anyone she had ever met by appearance alone, but if Flurry was correct, than this strange figure could be trusted. Looking at Riley, Cadence saw that there was some connection between the older filly and Danielle and she had been watching enough in the shadows to see some sort of parental bond starting to form.

She had to admit, it was kind of attractive to see parental love starting to bloom and Danielle was very maternal, as Cadence could see from her domain of love. Not to mention that those hazel eyes of Danielle's were very attractive to her.

Danielle and Cadence stared at each other for a long moment before they were interrupted by Cupcake putting a large box on the table. "There's your last order. Thank you for coming and come again." It was clear she had forced that out and hadn't really meant it but at least she was trying to be polite.

Danielle, seeing that both she and Riley were done with their food, nodded and stood up. "Ready to go?" she asked Riley and the filly nodded, getting up as well. She then turned to Cadence and the other mare. "Good to meet you both, but we should get to our new home. Until next time."

Giving their good-byes, Danielle and Riley left the bakery with their box, the small unicorn jumping into Danielle's coat again as they went back into the snow.

XXXXXX

Staring at the moon was really one of the few things the younger sister did anymore. The lunar princess had her ears down, tail wrapped around her and eyes downcast even as they looked up at the celestial body above her. So many things she wished had not happened the way they had, so many things left unsaid and undone, so many things she regretted, and had not been able to fix since she had come back.

Princess Luna might be thousands of years old, but she had stopped aging at about the time of her twenty-fifth birthday, and being an Alicorn had protected her mind from the ravages of age. The down side to being partially immortal, however, was remembering everything, or at least almost everything, that had happened in her very long life.

And not forgiving herself for her failures was, sadly, a part of her personality.

She had her sister and while Celestia was fairly understanding about everything, it just wasn't the same as it had been over a thousand years before. She had had everything then, and just because she had been jealous, she had ruined everything. She had been selfish and had essentially had a child-like temper tantrum that she was still being punished for.

Celestia had not helped and her actions had only made her furious when she had returned. Still, she had swallowed her rage and how hurt she was and pretended that everything was fine, despite it not being close to being true.

The years she had been back had not been pleasant. While nice to be around ponies and her sister again, she missed the one she truly wanted to see once more and it was Celestia's fault she was not here. She also had to deal with the fear the common pony had for her thanks to her failed coup over a thousand years ago. Her darker persona compared to her sister had not helped matters either as she was just not as appealing as the other princesses.

She was still a little ticked off over that, that she had a niece that was an Alicorn as well, Princess of Love to add salt onto the wound. She had been gone for a thousand years and Cadence's appearance seemed like a slap to the face on top of everything else, but she had grinned and bore it well, though she didn't like spending time with her if she could avoid it.

 _Oh, we need another princess? Let's just grab this pegasus and turn her into an Alicorn! Who needs a millennia old Princess of the Night when we can have love instead!_

All in all, she thought she handled her temper very well around the pink interloper whenever they were forced to be in the same room together. In the last few years, she had only been snappish at her twice and answered questions directed at her as courteously as possible.

She sighed internally, wanting another princess to be around her. One that was far more enjoyable to be around, the one that had stolen her heart all those centuries ago and would do anything to get her back.

Knowing that her sister was probably asleep by now, and how Celestia had deflected questions about the subject whenever Luna brought it up, the lunar princess had nothing else to do.

She watched the moon.

XXXXXX

Cadence's eye twitched as she watched the expressions on the lavender pony in front of her, Flurry Heart frowning between her legs. The Princess of Love swallowed any derogatory words she wanted to say to her former favorite foal sitting client as she tried to keep her temper.

It was clear that Cadence had not had a good few months and she needed a place to stay for a while. Twilight had been a great friend the last time they had met and she truly did not want that to end now, but the newest princess was making it difficult.

"Twilight-"

"Stop, just stop," said Twilight, interrupting her before the older mare could say anything else. Twilight had been pacing in front of her for the last half hour and the love princess had sensed everything from anger, confusion, rage, and more confusion before it was now currently stuck on furious. Stopping her pacing, Twilight turned to her old foal sitter with a stern expression, hiding how angry she really was. "You left my brother."

"He didn't really give me much of a choice, Twilight," said Cadence in a blunt tone, eyes narrowing. Cadence was tired from lack of sleep recently and while she had more stamina than average as an Alicorn, she had been run ragged the last few months. "I'm just asking for a place to stay for a bit, not to take anypony's side."

Twilight snorted. "Why didn't you try and find a way to fix whatever problem it was? For Celestia's sake, Cadence, you two had a filly together! In a marriage, you work out your problems, not divorce your spouse over any small argument!"

Cadence growled but reigned herself in before she did something she would regret later. Flurry whimpered slightly between her legs but the mother put a calming hoof to her side without breaking eye contact with Twilight. This mare in front of her had no clue, no idea what her marriage with Shining had been like and now she had the gall to try and lecture her about what marriage was?

"Some things can't be worked out, Twilight, and Shining broke several rules we had set up when we had started dating, let alone agreed with when we married." Cadence really thought she was being generous with the ignorant mare in front of her. She had never really wanted to marry Shining Armor but had been forced to at the time, but to Tartarus with that now!

Twilight's expression hardened, which was not what the older mare wanted to see. "All I'm seeing is a former sister-in-law that didn't try hard enough to keep the happily ever after she lost. Get out of my house, Cadence. We're not family anymore."

That probably stung more than Cadence expected but she struggled to keep her composure, not wanting to scare Flurry, who was still whimpering. "You'd deny your niece a place to stay out in the cold?" She had hoped to use Flurry like this but the bile rose in her throat at the mere thought of using her daughter like a bargaining chip. She should be a better mother than this, but she was getting desperate.

"Not my problem. Apologize to Shining and take him back, then I'll consider her my niece again."

Flurry was constantly whispering, "Not going back to daddy," over and over again and Cadence knew that would never happen.

Finally, the older princess snorted. "Fine. At least now I can see that the title of Princess of Friendship only goes so far. Come on, Flurry." She made for the door to the castle, Flurry following with tears in her eyes.

The snow was only getting worse the longer the day went and it was now close to evening, which meant that it would get even colder than it already was. Swallowing, Cadence used some magic to keep herself and Flurry from getting too cold, her magic already stretched thin from being so tired, and took off from the Castle of Friendship.

Twilight might have turned her down but she had other options she could use. She didn't want to go back to Canterlot as there was a pretty good chance that Shining would turn up there at some point to complain. As for her options, well, Fluttershy was so nice that it would be hard for her to turn down anyone, let alone a friend in this weather. Rarity was the Element of Generosity so it was likely that she would let them stay with her for at least one day.

She had enough bits in her saddle bags to rent a house for a few days if it came to that but she would prefer not to as that was fairly impractical and something that took time and energy, something she didn't have.

If worst came to absolute worst, she could get back onto the train and find a place to stay somewhere else, but that would require possibly hours of staying awake even longer than she already had been in vain hope.

Something on her face must have transferred to her daughter as Flurry looked up at her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "What now, mommy?"

Shaking out of her reverie, Cadence tried to smile as comfortingly as she could to the very young filly currently pressed against her side. "Now, we try and see mommy's other friends and hope one of them will let us stay with them." She really hoped that Fluttershy or Rarity would give them a room for at least one night. The sun had pretty much set and the air around them was getting colder, even with her warming spell.

Sighing, she tried to take as much comfort from Flurry's presence as she could and they started making their way back to the town proper, the castle being on the outskirts of Ponyville itself.

Wondering which of Twilight's friends she should try first, she frowned as, even though it was rapidly approaching night time, it was getting darker and colder even more so than it should. It was as if some sort of magic was influencing her surroundings and Cadence gulped, using a wing to make a make shift sort of shield for her daughter, who was also feeling the effects.

The cold air was getting unnaturally colder, far beyond anything pegasi could manage with their weather magic in such a short time. Her immediate thoughts came up with Windigos, but she had banished that thought at being impossible, knowing that they were much farther north.

As they continued walking, Cadence saw that the street lights near them suddenly went out on their own, as did all of the other lights in the nearby houses, leaving them plunged in complete darkness. The sky was overcast so there was no moon and even though Cadence had slightly better night vision than average, it was completely useless in this darkness.

 _'_ _This isn't just ordinary everyday darkness, this is…advanced darkness.'_

Her tongue wetting her very dry lips, she could feel her heart start to hammer in her chest. Next to her, Flurry was clearly panicking, clutching at her leg as hard as she could. Trying more magic in her weakened state, she lit her horn to try and see around her and while it worked, she could only see a thin trail around her.

"Everything will be alright," said Cadence softly, but she wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure, Flurry or herself.

The light from her horn showed that, even though it was clearly below freezing before, the windows and doors around her were being covered in ice and frost at an unnatural and rapid pace.

Having been standing in the middle of the street for the last few minutes, Cadence tried to move again, when she heard a rushing sound, making her whip her head around in a panic.

She and Flurry weren't alone out here…

Breathing rapidly, the Princess of Love and her daughter, who had created her own light with her own horn, looked around, unable to move from their position from fear.

The sound seemed to settle behind them and they managed to both turn around, Cadence pointing the light she was shining at what was now in front of her.

Her eyes widened. The figure in front of her was huge. Clearly bipedal and standing at eight feet tall was a large skeletal figure looking like it was dressed in a tattered black cloak. The hood was up so Cadence couldn't see its face, but it was giving a deep rattling breath as it seemed to suck more than air from around itself.

Cadence tried to turn and run, but found herself rooted to the spot again, wishing she could move as she watched the figure in fear and terror. Flurry, not being as frozen as her mother, shot a beam from her horn only for the impact to not have any effect on the creature in front of them, looking like it hadn't even felt it.

Then the creature slowly moved toward them, seemingly gliding above the snow without touching it.

Thoughts and moments kept flashing in Cadence's mind, distracting her and keeping her from focusing.

 _"_ _Be a good little princess and stay here, won't you? I might actually spare you once I take over Equestria, I could use a new maid that's not a Changeling for once."_

 _"_ _Bow to me, princess. The Crystal Empire will be mine again!"_

 _"_ _Leave me alone, Caddy! We both knew we didn't love each other when we married and Flurry will get what you just got if you bother me one more time!"_

Her worst memories and experiences flashing through her mind prevented her from being able to do anything and somehow, she knew the figure in front of her was responsible for it. She didn't know how she knew that but she did.

Looking up again, she was startled at how close the robed figure was now, standing right in front of her now. Flurry had wrapped herself in a magic bubble but it was flickering and she knew it wouldn't last much longer. The filly was softly crying but Cadence couldn't hear what her daughter was crying about, only that it was horrible.

The figure reached out and what Cadence recognized as a hand came out from under its robes, and she struggled hard not to gag. The appendage was mottled green, covered in scabs and looked dead looking, like someone had cut it off and left it to decompose in water for a long time. The hand moved closer to her and she couldn't resist it, she was too tired and weak to struggle any more than she already had.

Her mind was utterly blank except for her disgust at what was going on and the horrible thoughts and memories flaring through her mind. Her eyes were growing hazy as the hand grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer while the other hand removed its hood.

Cadence had thought this couldn't get any worse, she was wrong. Feeling ready to pass out, she looked up and saw that the figure didn't have a face. No eyes, nose, or anything but blank green and scabbed skin. But there was a mouth, a wide shapeless maw that was pulling much more than air into it.

The hand behind her head pulled her up as it leaned down, Cadence somehow knowing that it was trying to kiss her. Why, she didn't know, but she knew it couldn't be a good thing and she doubled her feeble struggles. The hand dragging her forward, however, was too strong, too iron clad for her break it and, as tears welled in her eyes, she could only hope that Flurry could get away while this thing was busy with her.

 _"_ _That was pretty good for a whore, Caddy, but I expect you to do better next time."_

 _'_ _Sick bastard,'_ she thought in her blind panic and what could be her final moments _, 'why did_ he _have to be the last thing I ever heard?'_

When Cadence and the robed figure were only a few inches apart, the princess took a moment to realize that she was let go, the hand released her and she fell face first into the snow. Using the little strength she still had, she used her forelegs to feebly push herself up and she saw the figure being covered in some sort of white fire. Her mind trying to process what was happening, she was aware that the air was suddenly becoming warmer, still cold with snow everywhere, but the unnatural chill was fading by the second.

The robed figure that had attacked her was seemingly and silently screaming in agony as the white fire covered more and more of its body, a ring of the same fire prevented it from going anywhere. Soon, the only thing that was left of her assailant was smoke, ash, and several balls of light that faded from view.

Utterly exhausted, drained of any and all energy, Cadence could barely keep her eyes open and she slumped into the snow again. The last thing she saw before she fell unconscious was a rush of red and black gently rubbing her back.

"Don't worry, I'll get you and your daughter out of here to safety. It's gone now."

The pink princess let the darkness overcome her.

XXXXXX

The house she had been given the directions to was actually very nice, Danielle concluded as she let Riley out of her coat again. Riley shivered heavily but the interior of the house was warm and Danielle figured she might as well get a fire going in the nearby fireplace to rid her new ward the last of her chill.

The house was fully furnished like the mayor had said and Danielle had to nod at the tasteful furniture around her, though they were a bit bland. The kitchen was fully stocked but she decided to go shopping at a later date to pick up any particulars Riley might want. She put the cake she had gotten from the bakery into the refrigerator and looked to her new adopted daughter, looking around curiously.

She smiled. "While we're here in Ponyville, this is where we're staying. Why don't you go upstairs and find a room you like?"

Riley nodded, but looked nervous. "Could you, uh, come with me?"

Smiling again, Danielle nodded and they headed up the stairs to check out the layout. She was a bit surprised to find everything was large enough for her, as she was a bit taller than a pony, but she hoped the mayor had seen that coming when she was organizing everything and that was why this was the house she got.

It didn't take long to discover that Riley had chosen the biggest of the non-master bedrooms and had wasted no time in making herself comfortable. Danielle decided to be the good parent she was and pulled out a spare toothbrush for her, making Riley groan.

"Do I have to?"

Danielle gave her a look and Riley sighed, both heading to the bathroom. True, Danielle could have easily used magic, but there was something comforting about doing something by hand the old fashioned way. The young filly next to her grumbled slightly but didn't complain as she brushed her own teeth, though she looked slightly happier when Danielle rubbed her head for agreeing without too much of a fight.

Riley had been yawning ever since they had arrived and looked ready for an early night. It was only mid-evening but that didn't mean much after everything. "Tired sweetheart?"

Riley nodded sleepily and settled into the plain bed she had chosen. They would go shopping to customize the place later, but for now neither of them cared about that and just wanted to go to bed. Danielle made sure her daughter was comfortable and even kissed her forehead, making Riley blush in embarrassment. "Miss Danielle~"

Danielle only smiled and rubbed Riley's ears, making her stop complaining. "Good night sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning."

Riley gave another nod and got comfortable under the blankets. Danielle left the room and turned out the lights with a backward glance and closed the door to the room, sighing as she did so.

It had been a while since she had taken care of a child so young and she had to admit, she kind of liked it. Most of the children she had adopted had been either a little older or were teenagers at the time. Letting out a breath, she waved her hand over the house while concentrating on what she wanted, nodding when she felt the new ward settle over the building.

If Riley woke up in the middle of the night and needed her, the ward would alert her right away. It was something she had come up with a long time ago and it worked as well now as it did back then.

Frowning, not even bothering to put up other wards at the moment as she would wait until the next morning to do that, she ignored the master bedroom and headed out the front door again, using warming charms to keep the cold away as she put her hood back up.

She had been hired to protect this town and patrol for any monsters or enemies and she was going to do that. Being dressed in all black helped in that as she stood in her front yard while wondering where she should start.

Without trying, she found herself staring at the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Hands in her pockets and looking at the entrance, her mind went back to when she had used to live in this forest with those two, their castle, their home and fortress against the world. Now, the forest had overgrown and she had no doubt that the castle was nothing more than a thousand year old ruin by now.

She found that it did hurt slightly to think of the home she had lived in for so long was nothing more than a relic from the past, forgotten and unloved.

 _'_ _Canterlot castle is probably bigger and nicer, but the Everfree Castle holds so many memories that I can't let go. At least, not now. Maybe later.'_

The entire forest was different than the rest of the country and she had a sneaking suspicion as to why, though she had no proof to support her theory. Weather was easy for Pegasi magic to manipulate but some sort of magical field prevented the forest from working under those rules. Like the forest itself was making its own chaos magic to counteract a pony's natural harmony based power.

Danielle sighed at that thought, knowing of only one person who specialized in chaos magic to such an extent. Hoping that she never ran into him again, she turned and walked down the path next to the forest, making sure to not enter the tree line.

A few minutes later she came across a cottage on the other side of a small creek, making her fairly surprised that someone was brave enough to live so close to such a forest. Hoping that the dark windows of the cottage meant that whoever lived there was asleep and safe, she turned to head back the way she came when she felt a disturbance.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she let the sensation she was feeling wash over her, knowing what it was. Her eyes widened and her mind couldn't process what it was for a moment, disbelief written all over her currently unseen face. She took in the cold atmosphere, the unnatural chill in the air and a trail of dead vegetation she just noticed leading toward Ponyville.

Without warning, she broke into a run, moving much faster than a standard person or even a pony would be capable of. Her mind was playing scenarios but she was still disbelieving that she was feeling what she thought she was.

 _'_ _Impossible! Inconceivable! I destroyed them all, every last one of them! Millennia ago! They cannot be back, not now!'_

Bursting into the town square again, she followed the chill and ran even faster, hoping she wasn't too late. The spread of the cold had temporarily stopped, meaning that the thing responsible wasn't moving for the moment. That either meant that it was considering its surroundings or next move, or that it had found a victim.

 _'_ _Don't be late, don't be late, don't be late!'_

Skidding around a corner, she saw what she had hoped she would never see again. Tall, covered in tattered robes, sucking in the despair of its victim, was a dementor. It was completely absurd to ever think that one could be back after so long, so ridiculous of an idea that she would never had believed it if she wasn't looking right at one. Even worse, it had a victim and was moving its head closer, ready for a kiss.

Danielle's blood was on fire as she glared at one of her old enemies. Furious that she had missed even one in her massive genocide of these soul sucking monsters. Not needing a wand, not needing a real intent, she let her mind drift back briefly to one of the last times she had held her lover in her arms before she raised her hand.

 _'_ _EXPECTO PATRONUM!'_

She didn't need to even think the words, she had the spell down perfectly, but it gave her a sense of grim pleasure to watch as her patronus burst into existence in front of her. Danielle tried to hide her wince as she saw what her silvery guardian had taken the form of but the patronus looked to be covered in a dazzling white fire, burning everything impure away from it. The guardian launched itself at the soul sucking demon and crashed into it, sending it flying back. It then beat the dementor down into the ground and set its robes on fire, watching as the pure white flames burned the tattered robes and rotten flesh.

Danielle watched impassively as her patronus destroyed the dementor to ash, even when it left behind the balls of light behind that she knew had been the trapped souls the demon had taken in its life, suffering a fate worse than death. Now that the wraith was gone, the souls would finally go onto their afterlife, no longer suffering in a plane of existence not their own.

Breathing heavily and not even watching as her patronus looked at her before vanishing, she got onto a knee and saw that the one she had saved had been the Alicorn mother she had met earlier, Cadence if she remembered the name correctly. That meant…she saw a glowing golden bubble for the first time and knew that the little filly inside was safe for now. The bubble faded to reveal the little filly in question, Flurry Heart, passed out in the snow like her mother.

Leaning down to Cadence and checking her over, she saw that the older mare was barely conscious and was extremely close to passing out completely. Understandable and actually preferable after everything and Danielle nodded to her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I'll get you and your daughter out of here to safety. It's gone now."

The pink Alicorn passed out. Hoping that her message got through to her, she scooped up the young filly into her arms and cradled her close while using magic to levitate the fairly young princess.

Sighing, she began her trek back to her new house.

XXXXX

The Princess of the Night's eyes flew open the moment she had felt a foreign magical signature she had not felt in a very long time. Swallowing, she lifted her horn and tried to trace the energy but it was too faint to properly do so. Still, she kept trying, hoping and praying she was correct.

The magic she had felt had been from fairly far away, beyond Canterlot to the towns only about thirty to fifty miles away, but she knew what she had felt and it made her more excited than any other time in the last thousand plus years.

Should she tell her sister when the older sibling was awake? After thinking about it for a moment, she decided not to unless she was absolutely sure. Even then, she possibly might not anyway just for her being angry at her sister for her actions.

She took in a deep breath and let hope fill her, something she hadn't felt in a long time. The lunar princess would not lose her again if she had anything to say about it!

XXXXXX

Cadence woke up feeling absolutely horrible, groaning at the very painful headache throbbing through her head. The last thing she had remembered was being attacked by a monster after Twilight had turned her down and passing out.

She shuddered at the mere thought of what she had been through. The creature had somehow managed to make her relive her worst memories and moments, forcing them on her until she had no good memories left. She didn't want to even think about what it did to Flurry.

FLURRY HEART!

Scrambling to her hooves in a blind panic, she was breathing heavily as she looked around wildly, trying to find her daughter. She only relaxed slightly when she saw the still sleeping filly in a play pen next to her, a blanket draped over her as some drool escaped and ran down her chin.

Slowly calming down, seeing that her daughter was fine and nearby, she sat down on the bed she had been sleeping in and looked around, curious. The room she was in was an undecorated bedroom that only had the essentials, but it didn't look dangerous.

Checking her body, she found she didn't have any sort of magic blocking items on her person and, if anything, she felt much better than she had a moment ago. Now that her headache was fading due to her Alicorn biology, she could tell that she felt, not good, but better.

Wondering whose house this was, she took a moment to decide what to do with Flurry before mentally shrugging, knowing that she didn't want to leave her daughter behind if she could help it. Carefully, she levitated Flurry out of the play pen and placed her on her back, the blanket still wrapped around the young filly. Moving slowly so as to not awaken her _cargo_ , she used magic to open the door and look around.

Hearing noise coming from downstairs, she headed in that direction, careful to mind the stairs and saw that the living room of the house she was in was also bare of personal effects. Frowning slightly, she followed the sounds she still heard and found the kitchen with no problem.

Eyes widening, she saw that, currently making batter for pancakes or waffles, was the same being she had met the previous night in the bakery. What was her name and species? Danielle the human? Not sure what to do, she merely watched the red haired human prepare the meal and felt some sort of feeling in her heart, examining this person perform a menial task was making her heart race more than it should.

When Danielle noticed her, she simply nodded with a smile. "Morning princess. How do you take your pancakes?"

Cadence blinked in surprise at the question and smiled faintly. "Strawberries, if you have them. Danielle, correct?"

"Correct and I'm sorry to say we are out of fresh strawberries. This house was stocked before I moved in last night but the lack of fresh produce is slightly annoying. I have frozen strawberries I can heat for you if you would like?"

Questions were filling Cadence's mind at that but the most important thing to her at that moment was the status of the strawberries. "Heated is fine. Once she's awake, I know that Flurry would like the same."

Danielle nodded and continued to work, pulling out a pan from a cupboard and, after waiting for it to warm, started making pancakes.

The moment was so strange and surreal to her that it took Cadence a moment to truly process everything around her. Slowly levitating Flurry over to the nearby couch, she cocked her head to the side as she watched Danielle pour an equal amount of batter onto the pan she was working at, making a trio of roughly proportional pancakes.

Finally, the silence was starting to get to her. "How, how did I get here? What happened last night?"

Danielle sighed slightly as she tested if a pancake was ready to be flipped or not. "I've been hired to be Ponyville's new guardian by the mayor and last night was my first patrol. I'm sorry to say that you were the victim of a Dementor, the first one, to my knowledge, in thousands of years."

"Dementor…" Cadence mulled that word around her head for a moment, aware that Flurry's nose was twitching now that the smell of pancakes was filling the kitchen. "Tall and hooded, tattered robes?"

"That's the one," said Danielle, working at the stove and talking at the same time. "They force their victims to relive their worst memories and moments, leaving them without any good ones until they are nothing more than a shell of their former selves." She shook her head in disgust. "Foul loathsome creatures. They should be extinct, so I have no idea how or why one attacked you last night."

Cadence looked at her supposed savior and host for a few moments before shuddering slightly. "What killed them?"

Danielle's smile turned sad as she placed a plate of pancakes on the kitchen table for her and a smaller one for Flurry. "I did. Excuse me but I have to wake up Riley for breakfast. I'll be right back." She placed some syrup and a bowl of thawed strawberries on the table as well as she left the kitchen and went up the stairs, ready to get her daughter.

The pink Alicorn swallowed as she looked at the food on the table, honestly starving but unsure if she could stomach any food at the moment. She had no idea if Danielle had told her even remotely the truth but some things did make sense. If these Dementor things were real, than the human had given her a very accurate description of what they could do.

She was so lost in thought for that brief moment that she was shaken out of it when she heard Flurry stretch out on the couch with a yawn. The filly rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her foreleg before she turned to the table and saw the pancakes. Her expression instantly turned ravenous and she wasted no time in jumping onto the chair next to the table, eager to start eating. "Morning mommy, thank you for these."

Cadence smiled slightly. "Morning to you too, Flurry, but I didn't make these." Flurry paused what she was doing, the bottle of syrup still only halfway to her plate. Cadence knew she had her daughter's interest and continued. "Do you remember what happened last night, after we left Twilight's castle?"

Flurry swallowed and shivered, causing her mother to wrap a wing around her comfortingly. "I…I remember, but I don't want to…"

"We were rescued and brought here last night," said the older Alicorn, smiling at her daughter. "That Danielle human we met last night saved us."

"I do remember doing that," said Danielle as she walked into the room as well, Riley hot on her heels looking hungry as well. She took a moment to ruffle Flurry's hair slightly before she started making more pancakes, causing the young filly to pout slightly and Riley to narrow her eyes at her with a small frown. "Riley, anything special with your pancakes? Berries? Chocolate?"

"We have chocolate?"

Danielle nodded and Riley's eyes gleamed, nodding like crazy at that. The sole human in the room chuckled as she mixed some chocolate chips into the batter and continued what she was doing, making Riley lick her lips in anticipation.

"I take it you've had chocolate chip pancakes before?" Asked Cadence to Riley, trying to be polite and getting to know the young filly.

Riley nodded before her eyes became downcast. "Yeah…dad used to make them…"

Danielle sighed as she flipped a pancake and moved over to her adopted daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder, making the green unicorn filly look at her. "Cherish your father, Riley, but don't dwell on him. Be happy with the time you did have with him. I never knew my father, he died when I was much younger than you are now, but I wish I had some memories of him."

Riley swallowed and gave a watery smile, which was fragile but the best they could probably get at the moment. Danielle gave a comforting squeeze and moved back to the pancakes, making sure to make Riley's extra perfect.

Throughout that whole exchange, Cadence was smiling between the two, feeling the familiar love grow very slightly. She was looking at Danielle with a slightly better light than she had the previous night and saw that even though they were two different species, Danielle truly did care about Riley, even if the bond was still new. She had to admit that Danielle had a very impressive figure and did look attractive to her, combined with being good with kids and she honestly wanted to see if anything could form between them. A date here or there would probably do them both some good and that was honestly all she wanted at the moment. Flurry however had heard what Danielle had said about fathers and had paused in her devouring of the pancakes in front of her, thinking.

Flurry had only had one father figure and her's had let her down, hard. She didn't judge the entire stallion population from what her father did but it did make her worried about the possibility of making male friends. She was smarter than the average five year old, a side-effect of being born an Alicorn, and knew she was being at least slightly irrational, but she couldn't help it. She was still young, after all.

Danielle sat down with her own breakfast and they all ate in silence, all thinking their own thoughts. The lone human in the kitchen was contemplating everything she would do that day as she started making a mental check-list, including getting some toys for Riley and maybe Flurry, and helping the princess at her table with whatever was bothering her. She also should go to the mayor and report the Dementor attack the previous night.

Once they were done, Danielle flicked her wrist and the dishes rose into the air and started cleaning themselves, much to the amusement of the two fillies. They were about to leave when Cadence stopped Danielle, looking curious and thankful.

"I never really thanked you, did I?" She asked, rhetorically, smiling at Danielle, who looked at the princess with an amused look. "You saved the lives of myself and my daughter, and then you give us a roof over our heads for the night, even giving us breakfast. Really, thank you for everything."

"Well, I couldn't just let a Dementor suck out your souls, could I? I fought them a long time ago and I'm still surprised any are still around after I thought I wiped them out."

"What spell did you use?" Asked Cadence, looking curious. "Flurry shot a spell at it and it didn't do anything. But you used white fire, I think, and killed it."

"And then you passed out," said Danielle, teasingly, which caused the Princess of Love to roll her eyes and smile back. "I used some old, ancient magic called the Patronus, a piece of magic just as old as the Dementor."

"How old?"

"Millenia," said Danielle, shrugging, though that caused Cadence's eyes to widen at the year. "Probably more as I do think its been even longer than that. The Patronus Charm is very old magic, like I said, and is powered by the very opposite of what a Dementor feeds and is empowered by. A Dementor feeds on depression, misery and hopelessness while the charm is powered by happiness, joy and love. The more powerful the emotion, the stronger it is. Combined with a need to protect and take out whatever is threatening the caster and it becomes strong enough to kill a Dementor."

She chuckled as she shook her head. "I hadn't used that charm in so long…and it can even be used to send messages from one person to another, so long as they are within a certain radius. I have no idea if ponies could even use such magic or if it's just a human spell."

Cadence was impressed and, while the two fillies started exploring the house with each other, the two adults became deeply engrossed in a conversation about magic and its applications in various situations.

XXXXXX

Twilight was busy going over various documents about the town so she didn't notice her personal assistant right away. Then again, that was nothing new as the youngest Alicorn and newest princess had been fairly scatterbrained long before she had even studied under Princess Celestia. It was just a personality quirk she had had since she had been young and no one had really thought much of it for the most part.

Spike didn't really care that much when his first attempt to get Twilight's attention didn't work as he had been through this enough times to know he would get it eventually. Their relationship was truly one of the stranger ones in the area. As a dragon, Twilight had been forced to hatch Spike's egg back when she had been a filly and that had created a bond between the two of them that would most likely last for decades to come. While Celestia had raised Spike in his very early years as Twilight had been too young at the time, the young lavender filly had taken over when she had been old enough. Since then, they had created something that was like a cross between mother/son, brother/sister and scholar/assistant.

It was strange, of course, but somehow they had managed to make it work between them, which had shut up anyone who had thought a pony couldn't raise a dragon.

On Spike's third attempt to get Twilight's attention, the lavender Alicorn blinked and was startled out of the documents she had been reading, accidentally scattering them around her. "Who? What? Spike, what are you doing?"

Spike rolled his eyes with an amused look as he pulled out a scroll. "The mayor sent this to you about half an hour ago. She said something about hiring a new guardian for the town after it had been almost destroyed so many times."

Twilight blinked again before taking the scroll in her magical aura and unrolled it, reading it with a frown. "Hiring a guardian? While I can see the logic in that, this is something she should have consulted me about first."

While a new princess, Twilight didn't actually rule anything at the moment. It could be argued that she ruled over Ponyville, but it was more like she was an unofficial advisor to the mayor and second in command over the town. She was in charge if something truly dangerous happened, but the mayor was still the supreme authority for the day-to-day operations. While the mayor didn't _need_ to contact her if she was hiring someone to such a position, it was considered common courtesy to do so.

Twilight was still frowning as she rolled up the scroll again and put it aside for the moment. "Write to the mayor and tell her that I want to talk to her about her choice when we both have some free time. I've never heard of this _Danielle_ pony before and I want to know more if she's the new guardian of the town."

Spike nodded but frowned himself. "Twi, didn't you hear? Danielle isn't a pony and she's famous! She won a fighting tournament in Japan five years in a row and was a three star war general in the griffin army in their last war. And now she's here to guard Ponyville! I'm getting her autograph if I can!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Sure, Spike. See if you can arrange a meeting with her as well, then. I'm curious to see what she can do for herself." She went back to her paperwork and Spike shrugged, going off to write a few letters to send.

XXXXXX

Danielle was currently eating lunch as she watched the one adult and two fillies around her, smiling slightly as she continued what she was doing. She was reading a book by a pretty good author named Twilight Velvet and had to admit that it was some of the better works of fiction she had read in a while. Not the best, but still pretty good.

She had recently come back from the mayor's office and had concluded she had defeated a powerful wraith like demon the previous night. She had to admit that she had no idea if it was the only one in the area but at least she got a thank you for saving the life of a princess. She had also been told that she should expect an invitation to the local princess's castle for a meeting some time soon. Apparently, the lavender Alicorn that presided over the area was fairly predictable like that.

She had also gone to a local toy store and had bought a few toys for both young fillies that should keep them occupied until she could go to a better one for more. Danielle had never kept the toys she had bought between one adoptee and another, not liking the idea of hand-me-down toys from her.

As she was reaching the end of her lunch, a heavy sigh got her attention and she looked next to her to see a fairly exhausted but happy Cadence sinking low in her chair. Seeing her captive audience, the princess smiled at her. "Raising foals and fillies is exhausting."

Danielle chuckled but nodded. "True, but very rewarding."

"That it is," said Cadence, nodding with a far away look on her face. "That it is. And something that I wouldn't give up for the world. Flurry means everything to me."

"The mark of a true mother," said Danielle, almost more to herself than to the pony next to her. Riley and Flurry were playing on the floor in the living room, both getting along the best two differently aged fillies could. "When one is willing to give themselves to save their child, to give everything to see them happy and healthy in the future."

Cadence was silent for a moment before she sighed. "Before you got rid of that…demon, I thought I was going to die." Her voice was quiet, but still audible to the human next to her, and growing sadder the more she spoke. "I kept thinking that I hoped Flurry could get away while it was busy with me. I didn't think about saving myself, I just wanted to save her, no matter what it cost me in the process."

Danielle sighed. "The Dementor's Kiss, the ultimate weapon of those demons…which isn't important right now. I really should ask and forgive me if I'm being too forward, but where is the father?"

Cadence tensed at the mere mention of the father but sighed, her shoulders slumping as she sat down on the chair. Her mood starting to match the heavy snow fall outside. "Shining Armor…he's probably either in the Crystal Empire or in Canterlot right now. I never want him anywhere near Flurry ever again, not after what he did to either of us…"

The human in the room was silent, not mentioning that she had found and healed the two black eyes she had seen on both Alicorns when she had brought them in, one on each. Both had been hidden by a very good illusion, but it had been nothing compared to what she was capable of. She personally wanted to find this Shining Armor and either punch him in the face and send him flying, or threaten him with disfigurement until he wet himself, whichever she was allowed to give him at the time. She settled with hesitating before putting an arm around Cadence's shoulder, which caused the Princess to wince slightly again before, realizing she and her daughter were safe, put her head on Danielle's shoulder comfortingly, absorbing as much warmth as possible.

On the floor, Riley was playing with several balls at the same time while Flurry had some dolls, but looked at their adoptive mother and birth mother respectively when they thought they weren't watching. Riley had her eyebrow raised in curiosity while Flurry was just confused. The younger filly turned to the older one, an inquisitive look on her face. "Are our moms weird?"

Riley slowly nodded before she shrugged it off and sent a ball bouncing from floor to wall to ceiling before she retook control of the ball with her magic. It was a moderate level game made to help young unicorns control their magic and while Riley wasn't very good at it, she was good enough to avoid breaking anything.

When Cadence had finally stood up to stretch, Danielle figured she needed to as well. Needing something to drink as well, she went over to the refrigerator and opened it only for there to be a huge bang and a bunch of confetti to rain down on the somewhat surprised human.

Confused, she looked around only to see a very large pink face and blue eyes staring at her from less than an inch away. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and you know it's VERY rude to come to town to stay for a while and not let me meet you! I mean, I had to learn from Mr and Mrs. Cake that you were even in town and I didn't even know of your address until I found it in Town Hall. But now that I've found you, I have to throw you a party to welcome you to Ponyville and introduce you to everyone so you can make lots and lots of friends!"

She said all of that very fast and it wasn't until she was halfway done before Danielle noticed that the pink mare was sticking out of her shirt, somehow with her not even able to feel her in there. Having honestly seen weirder, though not by much, she gently but firmly grabbed the pink mare by the mane and pulled her out of her clothes, giving her an annoyed look. "Have you been in my clothes for long?"

Pinkie didn't seem to mind at all after she was dropped to the floor and she made a dismissive sound. "Pfft, not for that long. Only until it was funny! Now, about that party…oh, you totally have to meet my friend Rarity! She should be able to get you out of that black and into something more fun! Right Princess?"

Cadence, who hadn't said anything until now, sighed and shook her head fondly. "Sure, Pinkie, we can see Rarity." She then paused and nodded to herself before looking at Danielle. "You could use some new clothes that aren't black, Danielle."

Danielle gave a long suffering sigh. "I do have clothes that aren't black, but they are pretty old…fine, we can go clothes shopping." Pinkie jumped up and confetti seemed to come out of her mane and ears before Danielle continued. "But no pink." Pinkie landed on the floor after she had paused in mid-air and shrugged.

"Some just can't pull it off." She mock haughtily then walked to the door with her nose in the air. It was so ridiculous for such a goofy pony to do such a thing that Danielle had to struggle to hold in her laughter.

Finally just rolling her eyes, Danielle turned to the others. "Riley, get anything you want to take with you, we're going to meet a new neighbor."

"You too, Flurry," said Cadence, "we're going to see Rarity."

Both fillies nodded and left the room, though Flurry seemed a lot more interested of the two, as they both got ready.

Fifteen minutes later had Danielle trudge through the snow with the others, a blanket warming charm on all of them to keep them from getting too cold from the snow. While it wasn't a huge blizzard, it was still coming down at a good rate so the charm was needed.

Flurry, apparently used to snow, had been jumping in and out of snow banks on the way to Pinkie's friend's. The cute Alicorn filly would constantly jump into one mound of snow and pop out of another in a completely different location near them, making her mother shake her head in amusement and exasperation.

While the Princess of Love kept an eye on both fillies, Pinkie had been doing a running commentary since before they left the house.

"And I was saying _Oatmeal_ and she said something else that made milk squirt out of my nose! Even though I hadn't been drinking any at the time but it just had to be done! And that is how I saved the winter holidays around my house when I was a filly. True story."

Danielle sighed heavily but no one came to save her as Pinkie started on yet another story that she honestly didn't care about. Still, she politely nodded and made sounds of encouragement at the right times just to keep up the charade that she was listening.

She did not raise herself to be impolite, after all.

Luckily, they reached the Carousel Boutique shortly after Pinkie started on her new story and Danielle didn't waste any time before she started knocking, eager to talk to someone else instead. When the door opened it didn't reveal Rarity but a much younger looking filly that looked a little older than Riley.

The new filly had a pure white coat with a curled mane and tail that consisted of a few different shades of purple. The filly's eyes widened when they saw Danielle but widened even more when she saw Cadence and Flurry. Before Danielle could say anything, Pinkie beat her to it.

"Hey Sweetie-Belle, Rarity home?"

Sweetie-Belle nodded and took a step aside so they could enter. "Yeah, she's inside. You can wait while I can get her?"

They nodded and Danielle found herself in a room that looked one part living room, one part clothing store and one part runway. Not surprising as in small towns like this, most businesses tend to be homes as well so rooms had to have more than one purpose.

It didn't take long for the young filly to come back down from upstairs to get her sister and Rarity came down. Danielle recognized that white coat and curled purple mane from the day before and had to admit, she didn't think she would meet her again so soon. Somehow, she hadn't matched Pinkie's friend Rarity to this unicorn in front of her until now.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is…" She trailed off when she recognized Danielle and her eyes widened. "Oh darling, it is wonderful to meet you again. I did wonder if we were to see each other after yesterday, but did not hold out hope."

Cadence raised an eyebrow. "You two met each other?"

Danielle shrugged. "Helped her out yesterday and she said I had to come see her at some point. Didn't know you were _that_ Rarity. Well anyway, Pinkie here seems to think I need a new wardrobe and as long as it isn't pink, I'm willing to see what you can come up with."

Rarity's eyes widened before seeming to shine at the prospect at the idea. "Of course I would love to! Oh yes, Sweetie, could you entertain our guests while I take Miss Danielle here for a…private consultation?"

Sweetie had apparently been asked to do things like that in the past and shrugged. "Sure, have fun." She gave Danielle would could possibly be an apologetic look as the human was pulled up the stairs to Rarity's work room.

They only made it to the top of the stairs when a whimper got Danielle's attention, causing her to stop in her tracks. Rarity, not hearing anything, kept going but turned back when she noticed the human not following her. "Miss Danielle?"

Frowning slightly, Danielle held up a finger. "One moment, please?" Without waiting to see what the reaction was, Danielle went downstairs again and saw a certain green unicorn filly among the others that looked far more panicked than she should be. Riley calmed down when she saw Danielle again and shot toward her, causing the human to start for a moment before calming down and rub the top of the unicorn's head.

Sighing, Danielle got down on one knee and tried to look at her adopted daughter in the eye. "Riley," the unicorn wouldn't look at her in the eye and she sighed again. "Riley, please, look at me." The young unicorn slowly did so, Danielle seeing the panic in her eyes. "You can tell me anything, you know. What's bothering you?"

Riley didn't seem to want to say anything as she looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. She finally slumped down until she was sitting on the floor and sighed, looking elsewhere again, not saying anything.

Pursing her lips for a moment, Danielle tried a different tactic. "Are you scared of something?"

Hesitating, Riley tensed, not wanting to answer, which was enough of one for Danielle. She sighed and rubbed the top of Riley's head again. "You know I'll be in the other room, right? I'll be within shouting distance, so if something happens, I can hear you."

Riley looked up and Danielle could see the unshed tears in them. Riley swallowed and looked at the others in the room, who were watching the whole thing unfold in silence. "I…I don't know them…"

Danielle sighed and brought Riley into a hug, which was returned after a few long moments. "I know you don't know them well, but you know they won't hurt you, right? I can tell, they won't do anything to you."

"I know," said Riley, quietly enough that only Danielle could hear her. "But…"

"But…you want to be with me?" Riley nodded. Danielle could understand. The only time the two of them had been apart since meeting the previous day had been when Riley had gone to bed. Other than that, they had always been within eyesight of the other and it scared Riley to be left alone with ponies she didn't know.

Sighing and silently going over everything she could do, she thought of something and nodded to herself. Separating from Riley for a moment, she dropped her backpack from her shoulder and started digging in it for a moment before pulling out two hand mirrors.

"These are communication mirrors," said Danielle, giving one to Riley, who held out hers with a look of curiosity. "Say my name in yours and you can talk to me through them. These are pretty rare, so treat it well, okay?"

Riley didn't say anything but she took hers with reverence, like she had been given a precious gift and wouldn't lose it. Danielle smiled and ruffled her hair, which caused her to pout for a moment before standing again. Looking at Rarity, she shrugged. "Sorry about that, now, shall we continue?"

Rarity, who was smiling sadly at what she had seen, nodded silently and they both headed up the stairs again, giving Riley another smile before they were out of eyesight of each other.

Danielle was smiling fondly when she entered Rarity's work room when the mirror she was holding grew warm. Chuckling slightly, she turned on the mirror and saw Riley's relieved face when she saw the mirror worked. "Couldn't resist, could you?"

Riley turned slightly red in embarrassment and Danielle chuckled again. "Please at least try and make friends with Flurry and Sweetie-Belle, alright? I promise I'll see you soon, sweetie." Riley looked down but nodded and Danielle cut the connection, shaking her head sadly.

Looking at Rarity, she noticed the fancy unicorn was giving her a knowing look. "What?"

"Nothing darling, really, just updating my perception of you from the last time we met. If I recall, you were a bit of brute in your efforts to remove that ruffian, but now that I know you are good with fillies…"

Danielle sighed as she looked around. Rarity's work room was covered on what could only be called organized chaos, only making sense to the fancy pony next to her. "She lost her parents recently and I adopted her. She's a bit fragile at the moment and I'm being gentle with her until we are both used to each other, okay? Now, what's first for this new wardrobe I'm supposed to get?"

Rarity's smirk told her she wasn't fooled by the subject change but allowed it anyway, levitating a pair of glasses toward her as well as a tape measure. "If you could remove everything but your inner garments, we may begin."

Sighing again, Danielle took off her dark cloak and threw it aside, leaving herself in a standard blouse and a pair of jeans she had managed to get in Griffonia. It was fairly hard to find clothes that fit her anymore, thanks to being a unique species and only one of her kind. Giving Rarity a look telling her that she wouldn't be removing anymore, the fancy unicorn didn't seem bothered at all and went to work, moving the tape measure around while recording the results.

"I must say, I am somewhat excited to work on a new model with your figure and body type. There are few enough bipeds in the world and so few of them require my services that I am feeling positively giddy!"

Danielle smiled as the tape measure took the length of her inner arm. "As long as I can wear it and it isn't pink, I'm sure anything you make will be wonderful. I've found that there are few ponies that want to make clothes for me so I'm forced to talk to others like griffins."

Rarity barely hummed and Danielle wasn't sure if she was even listening. She seemed 'in the zone' as it were and was already coming up with ideas she wanted to try. "Hmm, interesting, darling…now, what do you feel about dresses?"

"If I'm going somewhere formal," said Danielle, not liking where this was going. "I don't wear dresses around the house and I have a bit of an active lifestyle. Dresses usually get in the way if a threat comes around and I need to fight."

The fashionable unicorn frowned slightly at the idea of combat but seemed to understand to an extent. "Yes…I could see that…something light and speedy, if I am correct. Some durable material, but not cumbersome…I'm sure I can come up with something with some time."

Danielle nodded, liking where she was going now. "How much do you think this will cost me? I have plenty of money."

Rarity shook herself at that. "Cost? No, no dear, no cost! You saved me from a violent ruffian just yesterday and you didn't let me thank you then. No, this is a thank you gift from me."

Frowning, Danielle thought about it. "I have a bit of an honor complex and I don't like getting things like this for free. How about I just cover the cost of the more expensive materials you'll need for this?"

"I…" Rarity hesitated before seeing the look in Danielle's face and finally sighed, nodding. "Very well, if you insist on paying for something we can work something out, I suppose."

XXXXXX

Celestia had been walking through the hallways of Canterlot castle when she noticed a sight she normally wouldn't have seen. Her sister was outside in the gardens and was just staring in a seemingly random direction. It was odd for Luna to be outside at all during the day when she would normally be sleeping but in the gardens? This was cause for some small investigation. Luckily, her busy schedule allowed her some free time at the moment so she had no trouble making her way outside herself.

The day itself was cold but bright with only a few clouds over the castle. It didn't escape Celestia's notice that there were various clouds in every direction of Canterlot but not over the city itself but she chose to ignore that for the moment, more interested in her sister's wellbeing.

Normally, she wouldn't care that much, but she figured she should do her part in _trying_ to keep a somewhat healthy relationship with her. Approaching the darker Alicorn, Celestia noticed the direction Luna was facing and took note of it, wondering why she would be facing toward Ponyville of all places.

Sitting down next to the Princess of the Night, the larger pony wondered how long it would take before she was noticed. After five minutes of Luna simply staring in the direction she wanted and not moving, Celestia was starting to get unnerved. Ever since she came back from the moon, Luna had been able to sit or stand in a single position for as long as she wanted without moving a muscle.

Pursing her lips together, the larger sister carefully poked Luna in the side, wondering what would happen. It took several long moments before Luna came back to the world around her, blinking rapidly before turning to look at Celestia. After another long few moments of silence, the elder sister mentally sighed. "Something troubling you, sister?"

Luna came back to the world around her and breathed a heavy sigh before looking back in the direction of Ponyville. "I am not sure you would care enough for what I might have discovered last night, sister."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Luna, of course I would care for anything you might have found out last night."

She got another sigh back but it wasn't as large as the previous one. Luna's eyes flicked in random directions before she sat down, her tail wrapped around her. "I could have imagined it, but last night, I felt _her_ magic. The magic of the one we lost."

If she had been expecting some great revelation of some hidden secret, Luna was disappointed. She didn't need to turn around to hear Celestia swallow heavily and the elder sister's heart rate to increase rapidly. Of course, on the outside the larger pony was as impeccable as ever, but to someone who had known her for centuries, the signs were all there. Celestia finally turned in the same direction Luna was, "Oh."

Luna almost snorted. The one they had let get away, the one that Celestia had hurt beyond all others and all she had to say for herself was 'Oh?' Luna wanted to jump down her sister's throat, throw accusations at her and blame her for everything that had gone wrong in over a thousand years, but knew that it wouldn't amount to anything. It wouldn't do a thing to help her so what was the point?

"Are you sure?" Asked Celestia, her voice calm and steady despite any emotions she was actually feeling. Luna always hated that but kept silent, knowing there was more. "After so long-"

"I would know her magic anywhere, sister," said Luna, her tone clipped and no nonsense. She paused for several long moments before continuing. "I am wondering, if it is actually her or a unicorn with the exact same feeling to it. It was there one moment and gone the next, so the validity is thrown into doubt, of course. But…there is hope."

"…I see," said Celestia, her tone and face emotionless. Luna really struggled as even though she hadn't even looked at her sister, she knew that Celestia was hiding everything, even from herself. More and more, the younger sister knew that her fellow ruler was becoming less like a pony and more of a machine. She hated it but she couldn't do anything about it. Finally, Celestia stood up while Luna continued to sit, not moving from her vigil. "…Keep me informed." With that, she left, leaving the lunar princess alone in the garden.

Luna sighed, not moving to join her sister when she knew it wouldn't help. There was only one that could ever bring the ever royal Celestia out of her comfort zone and embrace life and neither knew if she was even still alive. Still, this was the best lead Luna had had ever since she came back and she was not going to let it go to waste. All she needed was for that magic to flare again and she would be there as soon as she could.

 _'_ _Please, be there. I need you, Tia needs you but I need to know that you forgive me for everything I did to you. I love you too much…'_ Luna really tried hard not to cry at the thought of her love hating her, but she needed to apologize if nothing else. _'Please, just forgive me.'_

XXXXXX

Danielle felt like a shudder went through her body for some reason but mostly ignored it as she relaxed in Rarity's living room/fashion studio. She was reclining in a couch with Riley snuggled up to her, looking like a nap might be a part of her immediate future. Sweetie-Belle and Flurry were playing by drawing various pictures on a sketch pad the older filly had while Cadence helped where ever she could.

She had no clue where Pinkie was but knew she was around somewhere, watching and waiting just in case.

When Rarity had finished her measurements and a brief overview of what Danielle needed in both work and casual clothes, she had been ushered off so the fashionista could work in peace. Though she had been forced to promise to stay to provide feedback on the finished sketches when Rarity was done drawing them.

Danielle had to admit, Rarity was quite the artist both on paper and in her clothing lines, no two ever having the exact same work. Even two outfits that looked the same could have a slight difference in cut or sewing that would make it stand out, even against each other. Ponyville certainly had a very dedicated seamstress they could call on whenever they needed it.

When it looked like Rarity would be a while, Danielle apologized softly to Riley and made to stand up, causing the green unicorn to pout slightly as she was moved. Stretching for a few moments, she yawned slightly and turned to Riley. "I'm going outside for some air, you want to come with?"

Riley took a look at the snow filled clouds outside and shook her head. "I'm fine here."

Danielle shrugged. "Stay inside and bond with Flurry and Sweetie-Belle then. I should be back in a few minutes."

Riley nodded, though she looked worried, and Danielle made for the door, giving Cadence a reassuring look on the way out. Once outside, the human took a moment to really look around as she hadn't really managed earlier. The small town was as peaceful as it could be with barely anyone out and about due to the heavy snow earlier. The same snow that had slowed down to a crawl and had lost momentum about an hour ago so it was now only a few flakes every couple of seconds.

Smiling as she was sadly used to the snow and cold temperatures, she licked her lips slightly as she scanned the area with her senses, trying to figure out if there was anything around that wasn't supposed to be.

"Whatcha doing out here, silly!"

To her credit, Danielle didn't cry out in shock too much as she was now suddenly staring at a pair of big blue eyes from less than an inch away. Choking on the words she wanted to say but shouldn't intelligibly, she settled for glaring at the pink menace that was currently on her shoulders and leaning upside down over her.

Swallowing, Danielle grabbed the pink earth pony by the fluffy tail and pulled her off. "I was trying to find out if there is anything out here that I should be aware of, but I'm not sensing anything at the moment. There isn't anything out here that shouldn't be."

Pinkie got up from where she had been left in the snow and bounced toward her, not bothering with trying to get the snow off of her. "Okay dokie! But Ponyville is like, really peaceful! I doubt anything will show up here."

"Can never be too careful," said Danielle distractedly, sending her senses out even farther for anything odd. "Besides, it was what I was hired for by the mayor, to protect this town in case anything happens."

"Ooh, a guardian protector, huh? That sounds super important and dangerous!"

"And from the sound of it, you're a baker and party planner," Danielle retaliated with a smirk, starting to get used to the pink menace. It wasn't like she didn't like Pinkie Pie, its just that she wasn't used to her brand of inane humor yet.

"So, how'd the clothes thing go?"

Danielle looked at Pinkie with a curious look and only got a more innocent one back in response. Figuring that there was no harm in telling her, she shrugged. "Rarity's working on some designs right now and when she's done I can tell her any specifics I would like. I don't think she'll start making anything until later today or tomorrow."

"That's cool as she designs things for everypony here in town, which is kind of strange as nopony really wears clothes that much but she is a seamstress so-" She was cut off when Danielle slapped a hand over her mouth, now looking around intently.

"Pinkie! Be quiet for a moment, I…" her eyes widened when she recognized what she was sensing. "No, it can't be him…he's gone, I defeated him a long time ago…"

Pinkie looked at her inquisitively, but couldn't ask anything coherently as there was a large explosion that rocked the town slightly and something came flying toward them. Eyes widening again, Danielle shoved herself and Pinkie out of the way as a kitchen oven of all things came crashing down right where they had been a moment ago.

Getting to her feet again, Danielle growled, her eyes blazing in anger. "He's back? Of all the things I thought I had to deal with…"

Before Pinkie could do anything, there was a flash of light and magic about two hundred yards away from them near the center of town and a certain Lord of Chaos appeared out of nowhere, along with a butter yellow pegasus that was yelling at him.

Danielle, seething in anger and hatred, didn't even see the pegasus, her eyes solely focused on the messed up chimera/dragon combination now standing in the center of town, the frozen fountain next to him now pouring hot fudge instead of water.

"Oh, that's just Discord," said Pinkie to Danielle's unhearing ears. "He's cool when you get to know him…where are you going?"

Danielle was a blur, moving so fast that the standard pony eye couldn't catch her as she slammed her fist right into a distracted Discord's face. The pegasus yelling at him for shooting her oven out of her house stopped abruptly when Discord was sent skidding back across the snow and crashed into several snow banks, away from any houses or businesses.

Now glowing in magic and anger, Danielle stood about fifty feet away from Discord as the Lord of Chaos got to his mismatched feet, a confused expression on his face. "I helped seal you away, I watched as you were turned to stone, what are you doing back here, Discord?"

Discord saw who was talking to him and he gave a muffled snort of laughter. "Well, look who was brought back from the past! Danielle Lily Potter! Its been what? Three, four thousand years since we last met?"

"Give or take a century, yeah," said Danielle, not relaxing from the battle stance she had entered. "So, destroy any more lives since the last time I saw you? You were pretty good at that."

Before Discord could say anything, he had to quickly block several more punches that threatened to drive him into the ground. "I'm not doing anything! I'm reformed!"

"Right, sure," said Danielle scathingly as she grabbed Discord's lion paw and flipped the god over her shoulder and slammed him into the snow covered ground face first. Only for him to melt into the ground and come up again as a flower a few yards away before turning back to normal as the petals fell off his face. "I know the real you, Discord. You might not kill directly but you lie, cheat, steal and manipulate others for your sick games!" She suddenly felt a vine around her ankle, that had not been there before, come to life and trip her, sending her to the ground.

"Hard as it might be for you, try and understand that I have left that part behind me," said Discord. "I'm not the same god of chaos that I once was."

Danielle jumped to her feet in an instant and growled, moving so fast that she was a blur again. Discord's eyes widened as she suddenly appeared below him with a fireball lodged in her fist. He quickly absorbed the fireball and sent Danielle flying into the air straight above them, only to shock a few ponies watching as Danielle righted herself and hovered above them.

"LIAR!"

Danielle flew down as fast as her body would allow, feet first, and made to slam Discord into the ground again. Instead, Discord grimaced and shot a bolt of lightning at her, making her cry out in pain before falling in a heap about twenty feet away from him.

Getting to her feet again, she smirked. "Been a while since this has happened." She held out her hands and two glowing energy blades formed in them, making Discord uncomfortable. "Die!"

Discord enlarged his own claws and was forced to block and deflect the blades trying to take off his head. While he was distracted by the blades in front of him, he didn't notice until it was too late when two large hands made of earth grabbed him from underneath, preventing him from moving. He retaliated quickly though and simple made a large enough explosion to blow up the hands binding him, and send Danielle flying back again, crashing into more snow and through a poor pony's awning.

"I'm not your enemy anymore, Danielle," said Discord as he recovered from the sudden use of his powers and Danielle got to her feet, still glaring at him hatefully. "Celestia believes that I've been reformed!"

"Lies and more lies," snarled Danielle, panting slightly but putting that aside for the moment as got ready for her next attack. "You've done too many things for anyone to attempt to reform you!" She let loose a large beam of pure magic from her hands that Discord met with one of his own.

The two beams hit each other in midair as they battled for dominance in the middle of the town square. Finally, both beams hit critical before one could overpower the other and it simply caused an explosion, blowing Discord off his feet this time, throwing him through a couple of statues and creating a new trench in the ground.

Discord was back upright in no time and shot into the air, Danielle following as she flew after him, having mastering flight from a very young age. For his part, the god of chaos could only shake his head with a sigh as he immersed himself in his magic, glowing a chaotic golden yellow color. Danielle covered herself in her own pure silver aura and they both launched themselves at each other, like two comets colliding in midair.

The entire town watched, amazed as two extremely powerful magical titans clashed over their heads.

XXXXXX

Luna had been sitting alone in the gardens all day, desperately trying to find the magical aura she had sensed the night before. So far, she had received a lot of nothing but she kept trying, not wanting to give up just yet. She was tired from being up all night and half the day but she didn't care, she needed to keep going even if it was against her own nature to stay up when the sun was out.

 _'_ _Come on, I know that magic is somewhere nearby…show up again already!'_

She was considering taking a short food break, or get a guard to get her something so she could stay, when her eyes widened, fine tuning her senses when she got a reading on her radar again. The aura she had been looking for had returned and with a vengeance. Before it had been a small blip, but now it was all over the place, like the person was using tons of magic at a rapid rate while not caring if anyone was tracking it or not.

She couldn't deny it, it _was_ the magical aura of the one she had looking for. For a moment, she froze, happy tears running down her muzzle as she realized it was who she wanted to see.

Snapping back into focus a moment later, she extended her wings with a bit of a wince from how stiff they were. She would need to properly stretch them later but she had to go now! Before she lost the signal again.

 _'_ _I'm coming for you!'_

XXXXXX

"Uh, Twilight, you might want to take a look at this."

"Not now, Spike, I'm studying something here."

Spike rolled his eyes and forcibly turned Twilight's head to the window he had been staring out of, watching smugly as her expression turned from annoyed to shocked.

"What the…Is that Discord!"

"Yep."

"Fighting someone we've never seen before?"

"I think so."

"They'll destroy the town at this rate! Come on Spike, let's find out what's going on!"

"Way ahead of you," said Spike, burning a letter he had written to Celestia, just in case they needed back-up.

XXXXXX

Luna teleported herself to Ponyville in midair, allowing her plenty of time to land and survey the area. Unfortunately, when she appeared, she had to quickly avoid a ball of pure flaming plasma as it almost hit her head. The ball kept going and hit a nearby meadow, which burst into flames that the Pegsi were trying to put out with various rain clouds.

Landing quickly, Luna looked up just in time to see a definite human shape battling a Discord shaped one, both crashing into each other with various weapons, shooting spells and energy blasts at each other and either punching or swiping at the other. Folding her wings, she saw Fluttershy nearby and made her way over quickly, wondering what was going on.

"Dear Fluttershy, would you kindly explain what is happening here?"

The shy yellow pegasus shook her head in awe of the power the two were showing the entire town and looked at the lunar princess. "Princess Luna! Well, uh…Discord and I got into a disagreement earlier and then he was forced into a fight by that…well, uh…"

"Human," said Luna, nodding as she now understood what must have happened. She shook her head. "Danielle never did like Discord, and with good reason, but she must not have heard of his recent reformation."

"Oh, um…princess, what do we do?"

"I'm not sure we can stop her," said another voice and Luna saw that Cadence was also watching the fight with her daughter and a green unicorn filly she hadn't met yet. The younger princess shook her head. "I think they'll just keep going at it until they get tired."

"Sadly astute and correct, I believe," said Luna, sighing as she watched. "I doubt I could keep up with either of them with my current power." She was slightly tired from lack of sleep but even at full power, she doubted she could match Discord, let alone both him and an enraged human. "I doubt she is listening, but we should try and calm them down if we have the chance."

They all watched as a silver comet hit a nearby house and smashed through the roof, tiles and wood flying everywhere as both adult Alicorns shielded the locals with magical barriers.

Surprisingly, Danielle flew out of the wrecked roof and landed in the still unmelted snow by the now completely destroyed fountain in town square. Her clothes were in tatters and she was bleeding from several shallow cuts but other than panting somewhat heavily, she still looked ready to continue.

Cadence and Fluttershy took the moment to rush forward but stopped before they could become targets themselves. "Danielle!" Yelled the Princess of Love, "Discord is not your enemy! Please, calm down!"

"He's been reformed! He won't hurt anyone now!"

Danielle only seemed to be half listening. She didn't see Luna as she stared at her hated enemy. She finally chuckled as Discord landed on the ground himself. "Have to admit, Discord, didn't think I would have to reveal this so soon. But, if it's the only way to stop you, than fine."

Danielle's magical aura softly changed as she closed her eyes for a moment. The silver glow around her slowly became darker and even though it didn't turn black, it was still close. With a cry of pain, skeletal wings burst from her back and everyone winced at the horrible noise that followed it. The red head raised a hand and a pure black and silver scythe appeared in her hand and Discord started looking uneasy.

"Time to die, bastard," Danielle flew off, much faster than before and Discord barely had enough time to raise a barrier before he was launched backwards, crashing through several houses and trees. A sudden pillar of earth under Danielle shot the red head into the air where Discord teleported to, both exchanging blows that could topple buildings.

Watching sadly, Luna sighed as she stood next to Cadence, Fluttershy and Pinkie. "So she did master that power…"

"Princess Luna," said Fluttershy, turning from the battle to the lunar Alicorn. "What is going on?"

Luna hesitated as she refused to look away from the battle over the town. "Danielle is an old…friend of mine and my sister's from a long time ago. She must have only recently come back to Equestria. The powers she is showing off now…she hadn't fully mastered them when I last saw her, but they give her some powers of life and death."

"Does that mean she can kill Discord like she is now?" Asked Cadence, looking worried. "I admit that I'm not his biggest fan, but-"

"I have no idea," said Luna, shaking her head. "Even together, my sister and I were never able to fully understand the powers she is showing off now. Discord is a spirit, a manifestation of pure chaos. As long as there is chaos and strife in the world, he shouldn't be able to die. But now…"

Up above, Danielle was hit by one of Discord's claws and she winced in pain but she powered through. Vanishing from sight, she reappeared right behind the chaotic monster and sliced her scythe too fast for the normal eye could see. A shield was raised just in time but Danielle forced her blade through the barrier and shattered it, slicing off Discord's lion's paw.

Discord cried out in pain and swatted Danielle with his tail, turning her hair into licorice in the process. Growling, Danielle quickly flew at Discord from below and prepared her scythe for another blow, this time her attack was blocked and she was punched in the gut by Discord's remaining hand.

A large shimmering shield was put up around Danielle, trapping her inside and unable to go anywhere. Growling, she slammed on the magical barrier but nothing fazed it.

A now fully healed but panting Discord floated in front of her, eyebrow raised as Danielle pounded on the shield. "You really do not give up, do you? I'm not the same now as I was a few thousand years ago. There's no reason to fight."

Danielle snorted before she focused on her inner power instead. She knew that this would exhaust her but she didn't care at the moment. Her body glowing with an almost black aura, she built up her magic and let it all out in one large burst.

The resulting explosion managed to shatter the barrier and the magical feedback blasted Discord out of the air, crash landing in some field near the Everfree forest in a new crater. Now limp, Danielle landed nearby, falling over a hundred feet as her body smacked into the partially frozen ground, her hair back to normal.

Several long moments after landing, Danielle, coughing and weak but still sporting her skeletal wings, panted as she used her scythe to help her stand. Looking around her, she saw Discord's barely moving form in a perfect crater near her and she limped toward him.

"Not the way I wanted to win, but I'll take it." She raised her scythe, her grip weak from the fighting. "You'll never hurt anyone again."

A shock went through her and she dropped the scythe, making her wince in pain. Coughing again, she spat out some blood and figured that she had some internal damage that was preventing her from giving the final blow. "Damn."

Tired, she struggled to remain standing when she froze, warm forelegs of a pony wrapping around her in a gentle hug. Her wings vanished as her power left her, unable to keep the magic going that supported them. Blinking, she knew the scent of the one hugging her very intimately and she had to struggle to hold back tears.

Swallowing, she weakly smiled, though she knew the pony behind her couldn't see it very well. "Been a long time…Lulu."

Luna sighed happily as she tightened the hug, still not fully believing that she had her human in her embrace. Nuzzling into the back of Danielle's neck, she breathed in the scent of her former lover happily. "It has been so long…I missed you so much…"

Danielle smiled sadly and turned around, ignoring Discord for the moment. Now fully facing the lunar princess, she softly caressed the Alicorn's mane, causing Luna to lean into the touch for a moment. "You have no idea how much I missed you, Lulu." She sighed. "Now, about Discord here-"

"I don't suppose saying that I missed you too would do anything, would it?" Asked Discord as he pried himself out of the ground. "It has been so boring without you around since I came back."

Danielle gave him a dry look. "No, it wouldn't do anything. I still remember the horrible things you have done, Discord."

The lord of chaos shrugged. "Eh, can't blame a guy for trying."

Danielle rolled her eyes and leaned slightly into Luna, who was all too happy to support her weight. "Should have figured you would eventually find out I was here, Lulu. Knew I couldn't keep myself hidden from you for too long."

Luna shook her head. "Why would you want to hide from me in the first place?"

There were two more flashes of light nearby and Danielle sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she gave a fake smile. "There would be the reason. Hey Tia, you're looking good."

The two new Alicorns that arrived were completely different in almost every way. Danielle didn't recognize the shorter and younger of the two newcomers but assumed she was the new local princess of the area. The taller pony was one she knew very well by now. While she and Luna were roughly the same height of about six feet tall, Celestia was a head taller than either of them, making her about six foot six if one didn't count the foot long horn.

The younger Alicorn hissed at Danielle, anger showing on her expression that honestly made Danielle bored. "Treat Princess Celestia with respect-"

"Twilight," said Celestia, interrupting her student with a kind but firm tone, making the young lavender princess shut up instantly. Danielle rolled her eyes at the obedience and crossed her arms as the oldest princess in the area looked at her. Celestia's eyes softened very slightly looking at her. "Danielle Potter, it is…good, to see you again after so long."

Danielle shrugged, not uncrossing her arms as she held Celestia's gaze easily. "Well, you know me, Tia. Had to explore the world a bit after our…altercation over a thousand years ago, learn how to use my powers, that sort of thing."

Celestia sighed and looked down at her, no one else, not even Cadence, Flurry or Riley who had just appeared, dared to say anything. "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did back then-"

"You're right, I don't," said Danielle emotionlessly, making Celestia give an almost unnoticeable wince. "You screwed that up, just like you screwed up everything back then."

"Danielle," said Luna, warningly, but the lone human in the clearing continued.

"Why are you here, Tia? If it's to get me to stop pounding on Discord, fine. I have no clue what he said or did to convince anyone here that he's supposedly reformed, but whatever. I'll just have to keep a closer watch on him to make sure he doesn't do anything."

Discord snorted. "Right, of course you could stop me," he said, sarcastically.

"Do you want me to go at you at full power this time? Take you seriously this time?"

"Please, you know neither of us went at it at full power."

The lavender princess's eyes widened. "You destroyed a huge chunk of the town! You weren't even going at it at full power?"

Danielle looked at her, bored. "Please. If Discord and I fought at full power, there wouldn't even be a Ponyville left by now. Don't worry, I'll fix everything once this fun little meeting is over like it never happened." She looked at Celestia. "Now what? Going to force me to leave Equestria like last time?"

Celestia gave another almost unnoticeable wince. "I do apologize for that and no, I'm not going to exile you again. In my defense, I did lift your exile a mere fifty years after I decreed it once I had calmed down."

Danielle snorted. "Oh, it only took you fifty years to realize that I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH NIGHTMARE MOON! Damn it, Tia, you know more than anyone that that was more your fault than either mine or even Luna's fault! I was just a convenient scapegoat for you to blame everything on once all was said and done!"

Luna looked down, not liking where the conversation was going, even if she should have known it was inevitable.

"And I do apologize for that," said Celestia, her tone as light as it had been in the beginning but there was a trace amount of irritation now. "If I could go back and change it, I would. But enough of that. I'm just glad that you're back safe and sound. Would you like to accompany Luna and I back to the castle in Canterlot? We have much to catch up on."

Danielle scoffed. "Oh, that is so you, Tia. You give an order and just expect it to be obeyed. Did you change at all over a thousand years? Screw you! You haven't even admitted that you did anything wrong! Apologize? Yeah, but not say you did anything wrong."

She huffed and got off of Luna, able to support her own weight again. "Poor Celestia, too busy running an entire country that she forgot the only two people around her that could possibly understand her! Fuck you, Tia! You cost me Luna and then turned an entire nation that I had fought and killed for against me!"

It was only now that Celestia was showing some more signs of growing anger but only to those that actually knew what to look for, meaning only Danielle, Luna and Discord. Even Twilight and Cadence couldn't tell. Visibly trying to calm herself down, Celestia approached Danielle and leaned down until they were face to face. "Do you have any idea, what it was like for me back then? The pain of using the Elements of Harmony like that? Yes, I admit that I pushed you aside when I shouldn't have back then, but it was a stressful time for me and I needed to be seen doing something."

"And I take the fall for you, well done on being a true politician," said Danielle, giving a slow golf clap. "Princess of the Sun, sure, right. Princess of Public Images, more like. You always had to be little miss perfect, couldn't let anyone see you for who you are or publicly admit to making a mistake." Danielle smirked, "I bet Luna missed me more than you when she came back."

"FUCK YOU!"

Danielle chuckled. "Ah, you do remember some human swear words from back in the day, good for you." She grew serious and leaned right into Celestia's face, her expression unflinching at the furious glare she was getting. "I made sacrifices for you, and you threw them in my face, Tia. I might eventually forgive you for everything you did to me, but I'll never forget."

Both were growling now, trying to make the other back down. It might have been comical for a six foot six extremely powerful Alicorn princess of the sun to glare down a magically tired human six inches shorter than her if the situation wasn't so serious.

After several long moments, both stopped growling but were staring at each other intently. "You want to make out?" "You want to make out?" Both asked at the same time.

That caused everyone to stare at the two powerful beings in surprise and Luna to sigh, smacking her face with her hoof and shake her head. "You two have never changed, have you?"

Danielle sighed and pulled back first, though Celestia was a split second behind her. "As much as I would love to ravish you right here and now, Tia, I do have a job to do and that includes fixing the town from my own battle. I'm sure you can find me if you need me but for both of our sakes, don't need me."

She made her way back to town, Riley running after her on her heels.

Celestia let a small look of hurt show on her face that was obvious to everyone in the area and sighed. "For what it is worth, I am sorry for letting you take the fall for my mistake, Danielle. I'm not saying I'm entirely at fault, but I admit that I had a large part in that fiasco."

Danielle turned back and shrugged. "Good enough for now, Tia. Now, I really do need to go as I have a town to fix and I still need to consult with Rarity about my new clothes, not to mention get dinner ready soon for my new adopted daughter. See you around." She walked off toward the center of town where most of the damage was located without looking back.

Celestia sighed and sat down in the snow, sadly chuckling to herself. "She really hasn't changed, has she Luna?"

Luna smiled and shook her head. "Not really, and I love her for that."

Twilight meanwhile was staring at her mentor with her jaw wide open. "Wha? What just happened? Princess, you…you…?"

The large solar princess sighed and shook her head, looking at her student with deadpanned look. "Yes, Twilight, Danielle is my ex-girlfriend and ex-fiance."

Luna looked at her dryly. "Only because you convinced her. If I remember correctly, she was with me at the time."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "I made her fall for me and you know it."

"She was with me first and foremost and you know it. You just muscled into our relationship."

"Still fell in love with me in addition to already loving you, though," said Celestia, smugly.

"And yet, she is still more in love with me at the moment than she is with you," said Luna, just as smugly, causing the elder sister to sigh in defeat.

"Fine, you have me there. I just have to fight my back into her good graces and we can all be together again."

"Don't think that'll be too easy!" Yelled Danielle from the town square, somehow able to hear the entire conversation from where she had been standing.

Both Luna and Celestia grinned at each other and walked with Twilight and Cadence along with Flurry back to town. Luna smiled as she saw what Danielle was about to do. "Oh, I have not seen her do this in years."

"It is always impressive," Celestia mused, ready to watch the show as she sat down on a nearby bench, away from anything broken.

Cadence looked at them curiously. "What do you-?"

"You might want to duck your head," said Luna, smiling as she sat down as well.

It didn't take long before both younger princesses and Flurry found out what the two elder ones were talking about as Danielle started moving. With Riley nearby, Danielle had her eyes closed as she swished her hands through the air, focusing on what she wanted to happen.

Twilight was about to ask what was going on when her jaw dropped a second time. The various broken pieces of wood, stone and other materials scattered around from the battle started flying around the town. Every pony in town seemed to be outside watching as things flew back to where they were supposed to go. Support beams fixed themselves, walls rose whole again, ripped curtains repaired, and the large holes in the ground around them filled on their own.

Throughout it all, Danielle was in the middle of it, focusing her energy as a nearby statue repaired itself, looking as perfect as it had before she had thrown Discord through it.

Cadence let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and could only mouth a 'wow' as she stared at everything fix itself. She didn't study magic for a living but she knew more than most and the amount used to fix everything in one large spell would have been overwhelming. She then noticed that Flurry was standing on some piece of glass that was trying to get free. Gesturing toward her daughter, Flurry noticed and let the piece of glass free and it flew toward a nearby window, making it whole and shine again.

Smiling a bit, Danielle stepped down from where she had been standing and crossed her arms, looking at Celestia and Luna a bit smugly. "Well?"

Both smirked and started clapping their front hooves together, getting an honest laugh out of the new resident human. The two princesses applauding seemed to shake the rest of the town and they all started as well, getting some wolf whistles as well.

Danielle inclined her head to the town and letting out a breath, she held out her arms for Riley, who wasted no time as she jumped in them, allowing herself to be carried as Danielle started for Rarity's.

They were half way there and away from most of the noise when Danielle sighed, looking down at her new daughter. "You aren't scared of me now, are you?"

Riley was silent as she laid in Danielle's arms, finally looking at her after several long moments. "That Discord guy, he hurt you?"

Danielle fell silent as she walked, Rarity's front door approaching rapidly. "A long time ago, yes. I had to take him down thousands of years ago, but he personally assaulted me and many of the things he did was too close to home for me. So, yes, he did hurt me."

"He deserved it, then," said Riley, her voice matter of fact without remorse. Danielle stopped walking, not moving about five feet from Rarity's front door. Slowly, she looked down Riley, who looked politely curious at the sudden stop.

"Riley, I could have killed him in anger and hatred. That is not a good thing and I do feel bad about now that my temper is calming down. True, I still don't like him and I don't think I ever will, but I shouldn't just hurt someone because I can."

Riley cocked a head to the side, frowning. "But he hurt you."

"It doesn't mean it's right. That's why I'm going to talk to Discord about our fight later if I can…eventually. I almost destroyed the town I was so angry."

"You fixed it, though."

"Doesn't matter. I still put innocent lives at risk because I was angry." She sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "I should be better than that."

Riley shrugged, not seeing what was so wrong with what happened. Danielle looked worried but didn't say anything, opening the door to Rarity's shop and letting them inside.

XXXXXX

Letting out a breath she had been holding for a while, Danielle stared in a random direction, not sure how long she had been sitting there. She was currently on the roof of the house she was living in for as long as she was here in Ponyville. She knew she could probably live in luxury if she wanted to, but that just wasn't who she was, not sure if she could go through with the promise of living in Canterlot Castle from Celestia.

Ooh, Celestia, not a good sign if she was thinking of her by her name. She was so mixed up right now and had no idea what to think. Of all things that could happen by seeing the Solar Princess again, she didn't think that the love she felt for her would rise again so soon. Seeing Luna again was hard as well, maybe harder as Danielle truly loved the Lunar Princess, and even though they had found each other again, she couldn't get anywhere near either princess at the moment. She just…couldn't, not right now.

Too many feelings and emotions to handle all at once that she had to stop and analyze them first before seeing them again.

It didn't take long before she got a visitor on the roof with her, making her nod to her acknowledgement, "Hey."

Cadence nodded to her as she sat down on the roof as well, not saying anything as she offered more of a silent comfort. After several long minutes, the pink princess looked at her with a happy expression. "So, you with both Celestia and Luna, huh?"

Danielle scoffed and shook her head, looking lost for the moment. "Yeah, a very long time ago. And a very long story."

"I have time."

Danielle snorted but she smiled slightly, honestly wanting to talk about it to someone. "You sure?" When Cadence nodded, she shrugged. "Okay, just wanted to warn you." She was silent for a long moment before starting. "I'm not sure as to the exact time frame, but I think it was about ten thousand years ago when I was born, which is older than either Celestia or Luna, and humans were still the dominant species of the planet back then. I had been born with powerful magic and they only grew stronger from there, using my power to defeat a powerful dark terrorist leader, the same one who killed my parents when I was a year old. Doing so required me to use three powerful magical artifacts that are probably on par with the Elements of Harmony. I won, but I was also given some powers of life and death and even gave me partial immortality, making me forever in my mid-twenties physically."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents, even if it were millennia ago," said Cadence, honestly feeling bad for her human companion.

Danielle shrugged. "I never knew them, not really. I lived with my aunt, uncle and cousin but they hated that I had magic and they didn't, or they just didn't like anything they thought wasn't normal, I don't know. In turn, they hated me, they hated the magical school I went to, they hated my friends, etc. I still have some scars from that time in my life." Most of those scars weren't physical, true, but she liked to think she had outgrown her time at the Dursleys. "I raised myself, I learned how to do everything on my own and didn't need any parental figure to hold my hand as I grew up.

"Anyway, I defeated the one who killed my parents when I was seventeen, almost eighteen and took down most of his followers at the same time. After that, I didn't know what to do. I had been given job offers, marriage proposals and more but I didn't know what _I_ wanted. So, I decided that I wanted to travel, see the world that I had helped save." She shook her head. "It was a good trip, and it took a few years for me to learn everything that I had wanted to. I think I was about twenty-one when I met another person claiming to be a dark lord." She snorted. "He was more of a rich daddy's boy that liked throwing out dark curses but he was still dangerous and I was in the area. I fought him and won, but I guess he got the last laugh in the end."

Danielle closed her eyes and sighed, leaning back as she started looking at the early evening sky, not looking at Cadence at all. "I still don't know what spell he hit me with right after I defeated him. It's been a few thousand years and…well, it put me into a magically induced coma that couldn't be broken. I don't know what happened after that, I was unconscious, but I pieced together that my body had been put into the magical government's building at the time for study, trying to figure out what had happened and how to wake me. Apparently, they failed miserably."

Danielle sighed again, picking up a fallen twig on the roof and twirled it in her fingers, Cadence watching without saying anything.

"The only real thing I remember is waking up in I think a cave. I don't really recall much of anything after I woke up right away, just seeing that the curse either wore off or Celestia and Luna woke me up with Alicorn powers or a combination of the two, but they were the first people I met after I woke up. At that point, they were young, very young and were nowhere near the mature figures everyone looks up to. They told me they were looking for a way to stop Discord who was terrorizing the local population and found me in what is now Manehattan. Makes sense as it was known as Manhattan when I fought that dark lord. They took care of me when I was still weak and I bonded with both of them, they doing the same for me. The three of us were like best friends as we came up with a way to defeat Discord.

"We finally found the answer to defeat him in the Everfree Forest over there in what became to be known as the Tree of Harmony. The Elements of Harmony. We found that two of them worked out very well between the three of us. I found a connection with what later became the Elements of Magic and Kindness. Luna took Honesty and Loyalty while Celestia took Laughter and Generosity. Together, the three of us defeated Discord, but it was a very long and grueling fight, with him much more powerful than he was when I fought him earlier today. The fight with him took years, with both sides almost failing multiple times. I saw him commit many atrocities just because he could, making other's lives miserable like a game, which is what he saw the world as, a game with toys he could use and break as he wanted."

"That would explain why you attacked him earlier," said Cadence, smiling sadly.

Danielle nodded mutely. "After we defeated him, the three of us had to create a new government with the help of ponies like Starswirl and Clover, most of them warming up to me as the only human still alive in this world. Together with Starswirl, I did find out that I had been asleep for over eight thousand years, but it was probably closer to ten. It was only my partial immortality that allowed me to live for so long and outlive my entire species, and now I was in a world with magical talking ponies as the dominate species of the planet. That was an adjustment, but not a big one.

"Discord's defeat and sealing him in stone had also injured the three of us and before we could do anything, the common pony was calling for a Triarchy, with the three of us becoming princesses."

"You're a princess?" Asked Cadence, looking stunned.

Danielle shrugged. "Haven't been called that in centuries and I never really liked the title. Most just called me Danielle, even if Celestia and Luna didn't really care one way or the other, not stopping anyone if they did use their titles. Anyway, we built a castle in the Everfree Forest and used that as the capital for the new nation of Equestria, creating a whole new system of government from scratch. Now that we had some free time, in between tons of meetings, I spent more and more time with Luna while Celestia was more interested in politics than either of us. After a few years, Luna and I…we just, clicked. I hadn't had any relationship with anyone before and neither had she so we sort of acted like teenagers in love for awhile," said Danielle, blushing slightly. "We were probably worse than any teens though, we couldn't keep our hands or hooves off each other. We had a lot in common and we became official girlfriends, even talking about marriage at some point in the very distant future."

Cadence smiled. "You were happy?"

Danielle nodded, smiling too now. "Yeah, very. I loved her, she loved me, it was very simple and I loved it. Celestia knew and fully supported us both, even if some on the council at that time thought it was strange, we didn't care." She then sighed, looking annoyed now. "It didn't help though that as Equestria was becoming more powerful, we became bigger targets for other nations. Luna had always been better at combat magic than her sister so she and I were constantly sent on various missions to either defend our borders, protect important people or make treaties and alliances with others for aid. Most of them had us separate from each other and it was hard on both of us, especially since for the most part, Celestia didn't leave the castle as she took care of the home front."

Danielle closed her eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose painfully. "I should have seen the signs, but I was constantly away from her, away from Luna. I didn't see her nearly enough and we had gone through a couple of tragedies already on a more personal basis together. It got worse when Celestia…I don't know, I think she was jealous or maybe she just wanted to see what was the big deal with our relationship, but she sort of forced her way in as well. Suddenly, whenever I was home from a mission and Luna was still out, I found myself in various romantic situations with Celestia. I still loved Luna more than anything, but I found myself falling for Celestia as well and she with me. I want to say that she manipulated me and the entire situation, but I can't prove it and…well, it worked. Celestia opened up to me more than before and I truly helped her with her issues like I should have been helping Luna with hers."

Cadence narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything, not wanting to pass judgement just yet.

Danielle sighed again, looking exhausted as she wrapped her arms around her legs, a lost look in her eyes. "I know I should have handled the situation better, we all should have, but it all came together in the most horrible of ways. Luna knew about Celestia and I. I told her since I didn't want to lie to her. She accepted it, but wasn't that happy about it and she couldn't really have done anything anyway. I mean, Celestia was the popular princess even back then, able to get away with anything. If some Solar Princess wants to force her way into even her own sister's relationship, well, it's not like even we could fight her if she was determined. That abuse of power was probably the last straw, I don't know. The darkness that had been building up inside of Luna that I should have been helping but couldn't because of my missions finally had to have some outlet and Nightmare Moon was born.

"I tried to talk her down, tried to convince her to become Luna again. The last thing I wanted was to fight her, and that was denied me as I was forced into it by Celestia. She pretty much told me to fight and hold her off in that final battle while she prepared the Elements of Harmony. It, it killed me, doing that, but I didn't have a choice because Celestia's word was law and even I couldn't refuse her without facing her anger. That and…maybe I was punishing myself for not helping Luna earlier, I don't know. I should have told Celestia where to shove it and helped Luna anyway, damned the consequences, but I didn't and had to fight an evil twisted version of the mare I had fallen in love with.

"When the Elements banished her to the moon, I was heartbroken. I wanted her purified and for everything to go back to the way they were, but because the Elements decided to punish all three of us, they gave Luna a thousand year long time out. I didn't know it was for a thousand years at the time, I thought it was permanent and that was the worst part. I didn't think I would ever see my Lulu again and I don't think I ever really recovered from that."

Cadence's eyes widened slightly at seeing the tears falling down Danielle's face, the human not even seeming to notice as she wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Nightmare Moon did not go quietly as in the battle that held her off, she stabbed me with her horn and almost killed me. If that horn had been even a fraction of an inch off in any direction, I would have died and I still almost lost my life from blood loss. I woke up several days after Luna's banishment, expecting me to at least bond with Celestia over our shared loss, but that didn't happen. Celestia was running damage control and barely had time for me. When we did meet, she blamed me for Nightmare Moon, saying that I should have prevented it when Luna and I were engaged at the time. I argued back that thanks to Celestia herself, I barely had any time to see her and if anything, she was more to blame than I was for preventing us from spending any time together. Celestia…didn't like that.

"Celestia exiled me from Equestrian borders right after that, telling me that I had a lifetime ban from ever coming within these borders again." Danielle smiled a little fondly now, shaking her head. "Like she could really prevent me from coming back altogether, but I figured I had overstayed my welcome and I left the next day. Since then, I've been traveling the world all over again, solving problems, learning how to use my powers, meeting as many people as possible that could help me or may have answers to my questions. I tried so hard to move on from both Celestia and Luna, figuring that I was setting myself up for failure if I held out hope of seeing them again, but I couldn't. I love them too much for that and I never was able to get over them, especially Luna, who never deserved any of what happened to her.

"Now, now I have no idea what to do with either of them. Celestia screwed me over, but my feelings for her have never diminished and I still love Luna just as much now as I did over a thousand years ago."

Cadence frowned and thought for several long minutes. She could feel Danielle's love for the two princesses and knew that it was far stronger than anything she had seen before with any other couple, though her love for Luna was stronger. Finally, she sighed and hummed to herself.

"Danielle, I can't tell you what to do, but have you thought of just…starting over? Get over any feelings you felt for them in the past and simply date them like you were doing so for the first time? Get to know them as they are now instead of what they were like in the past?"

Danielle let out a breath and smiled awkwardly. "That would be hard, but it's probably for the best, I guess. I've changed and I know that they have too." She shook her head. "Honestly, at this point, I would say that anyone has a chance with me now, not just those two. Cadence…Do you want to go out for an actual date in a few days?"

Cadence's eyes widened at the question. "Really? I mean…really? An actual date?"

Danielle smiled and nodded. "Like a real date, yes. Just tell me when you're free and if I can arrange it, we'll go out to dinner then. Cadence, I'm not asking for anything serious. Just a casual date to see if we could be compatible together. What do you say?"

The Princess of Love's eyes were still wide as she seriously thought about it. Swallowing, she finally nodded after considering the pros and cons. "I would love to. How about…day after tomorrow at six?"

"It's a date," said Danielle, smiling now.

"Um, what about Princesses Celestia and Luna?"

Danielle rolled her eyes. "If they don't like it, they can come to me, not you. If they want me back, they have to make the first move as I'm sick and tired of waiting for them. Luna might have an excuse of being on the moon but Celestia doesn't have that luxury."

Nodding, the two of them were silent for several long minutes, simply enjoying each other's company before heading back into the house.

XXXXXX

Twilight was pacing back and forth, not sure how to feel about several revelations that had been brought to life. Her mentor had been at one point engaged to be married and that fiancé had come back, with that other person being a human of all beings.

She had nothing against humans, seeing as she had been one twice and had met the human counterparts to her friends, but she had never seen one in this word, thinking they just weren't native to Equestria. The fact that this particular human was a famous fighter, guardian and parental figure all over the world and was here in Ponyville for the immediate future was both exciting and terrifying to her. This human was a match for Discord as he was now and was probably one for the two princesses as well made her a possible threat.

Her entire world had been rocked several times that day and she hated it when she didn't have the answers she wanted. So many questions were being fired through her head that she wasn't sure which one she should write down first. How a human could have magic was just one of them as the humans in the mirror world hadn't had any. How a relationship between a human and a pony could work was another and one she didn't really want to think about. The exact past relationship between this human and the two princesses was also thrust into her mind and she had no idea what to feel about that besides confusion and curiosity.

"Twilight, just accept that you don't know anything about Danielle and you have to go talk to her if you want answers," said Spike, shaking his head as he watched Twilight pace, going back to his chores.

"She doesn't seem to like me, Spike," said Twilight, annoyed at that fact. "I don't think she would answer any questions I ask. I don't even know if she's truly who she says she is or if she's just manipulating the princesses. She could just be using dark magic to mind control them for all I know."

"Or you could ask someone who really knows her," said the voice of Discord from the upper level of the castle. Looking up at him, he materialized from a painting of the wall wearing the same clothes of the occupants of the painting, a blue suit, a matching hat and umbrella. "I knew her from way back in the day and I can tell you she hasn't changed that much."

"What do you know about her, really Discord?" Asked Twilight, prepared to take any information from the spirit of chaos with a grain of salt.

Discord reached into a pocket of his suit and pulled out what looked to be a standard diary, making Twilight curious and somewhat eager to read a new book. "This book has everything you would want to know about Danielle Potter. If you can handle it, it might prove useful to you."

Twilight used magic to levitate the book to the table next to her and she frowned at Discord. "Why are you helping me understand her? You two fought earlier."

"Yes, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I sort of deserved it," said Discord, rolling his eyes as he was forced to admit it. "I did sort of destroy her first home just to taunt her back in the day." He materialized a globe of the planet and showed off the country of Britain from what it used to look like.

Twilight frowned. "That's not what Britain looks like, the shape is all wrong."

"No, that's what it used to look like thousands of years ago," said Discord, poking a talon at the country on the globe. "When Danielle worked with Celestia and Luna to defeat me, I might have…broken off a large portion of it." He proved it when the top half of the country on the globe broke away and sank into the 'water'. "I would have to say that about…oh, a few million lives died that day when they couldn't escape in time," said Discord, shrugging without a care in the world, much to Twilight's horror. "Seemed like a fun idea at the time and it really was. I feel a little bad about that now, but not by much."

Twilight stared at him in fear that he would do that just because he could before looking at that diary. "How does this work?"

"It's a book, you open it."

Twilight glared at him before opening the book and frowned when she saw that there weren't any words written down to read. Flipping to the front page, all she saw was a date that didn't make any sense to her. "October 31, 1981? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Touch your horn to the date and you'll find out."

Looking at Spike, who shrugged and put a claw on her back, she touched the page with her horn. She instantly felt a sinking feeling and she and Spike gasped, looking around when they saw that the scenery had changed.

Twilight and Spike were suddenly standing in some sort of small town roughly the size of Ponyville, but they were surrounded by humans, dozens of them. It was night time, but it looked to be Nightmare Night if all of the various children running around in costume meant anything.

"Twilight, what happened?"

"I, I think this might be the past," said Twilight, not sure if she was right or not. No one said anything about a pony and a dragon appearing out of nowhere and Twilight nudged a hoof at a random child near her, her hoof went right through him like he wasn't even there. "No, this is a memory."

"Who's that?" Asked Spike, pointing at a tall figure dressed in dark robes. The hood was up and they couldn't see his face, but he was extremely tall compared to the other humans around and almost skeletally thin.

Twilight swallowed, having a feeling that this figure is the one they should be following through this memory. One child came up to the tall figure. "Wow, nice costume, mister!"

The figure turned to the child and the kid saw the face under that hood. It must have been terrifying as the kid had a look of fear on his face before running toward his mother. The figure didn't say anything as it held a stick in their hand before coming to a decision and moving away, apparently thinking it wasn't worth it.

Twilight and Spike followed the figure toward one of the houses on the block, a modest two story one that looked extremely quaint and comfortable. Twilight could easily see herself staying in a house like that at some point in the future.

The figure entered the property and looked through the window, causing Twilight and Spike to do the same. In the living room, they saw a dark haired young man caring for a one year old baby girl, her dark auburn red hair visible even through the window.

"That's Danielle, isn't it?" Asked Spike, looking at the baby.

Twilight swallowed, getting a bad feeling about this. She swallowed. "Probably, to be honest."

They watched a woman the same age as the man came into the room. She looked so similar to Danielle that it was uncanny, but this woman had emerald green eyes, not the hazel they had seen belong to Danielle. They were obviously Danielle's parents and the strange figure watching with them was doing so almost hungrily.

They watched as Danielle's mother carried her upstairs while her father stood up, stretching and throwing a wooden stick he had been holding onto the couch. Since he had been creating multicolored puffs of smoke for his daughter's amusement, Twilight assumed that the stick was a magical focus item of some sort, probably a wand.

Before she could wonder why he would need a wand when Danielle didn't use one during her fight with Discord or fixing the town afterward, the dark hooded figure moved again. Holding a wand of his own, the figure simply pointed it at the door and it was blown off its hinges, sending it flying into the house. Twilight and Spike looked at each other in fear and jumped into the house to watch what would happen.

Danielle's father, seeing what he was up against, panicked and spoke to the stairway. "Lily, it's him! Go, I'll hold him off!"

The dark figure looked amused for a split second and when the dark haired man rushed for his wand, there was a flash of green light from the stranger's wand tip, hitting the man in the chest. Twilight stared in horror. The man was dead before he hit the floor. Spike threw up, not caring to find out what would happen outside once done.

The figure wasn't done as he casually walked over the now rapidly cooling corpse and started climbing the stairs. The two viewers followed as they saw a rapidly and crudely constructed barrier of furniture and boxes. The figure lazily waved his wand and everything moved out of the way, before blasting the door open.

Danielle's mother, Lily, was standing between the figure and a crib behind her, where the baby Danielle was watching everything curiously. The figure finally spoke for the first time as he looked at the auburn haired woman.

"Move aside."

"No, please, not her, not my daughter."

"Move aside, move aside now, girl."

"No, please, not Danielle, not my daughter. Take me, kill me instead!"

"Last chance, girl! Move aside!"

"No, please, have mercy! Kill me, instead!"

There was no more arguing and with another flash of green light, Danielle's mother crumpled to the floor, dead like her husband. Twilight and Spike were desperately trying hard not to get sick as they watched, the killer had moved onto Danielle now.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Danielle hadn't made a sound, clearly looking at the stranger with a sort of polite curiosity. Almost like she thought that the stranger was her father and her mother would get back up, laughing.

Twilight wanted to do something, anything, but she couldn't. She was in a memory, not able to do anything as she could only watch. The man pointed his wand at Danielle, contemplating the baby girl for a moment before another jet of green light flew from his wand.

Twilight and Spike watched, amazed as the green light hit Danielle in the chest but instead of killing the infant, the curse seemed to struggle for a moment before bouncing off and hitting the killer instead. There was a long drawn out scream from the stranger before he vanished, his body disappearing and leaving the now crying baby girl behind.

The force also ejected Twilight and Spike who were suddenly standing back in their own bodies, in their own time in the Ponyville castle. Twilight was shaking and pale, never wanting to see anything like that again while Spike was dry heaving in the corner, doing his best to not throw up for real this time.

Discord had been waiting for them to arrive again and nodded. "Intense, isn't it?"

"That…that…" Twilight swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat as she sat down, her wings tucked into her body and tail wrapped around herself. "That was…horrific. Who could…?"

"His name was Voldemort, I believe," said Discord, picking some dirt from under his talon. "A mad mass murderer and terrorist leader. I won't give away any more as you'll find out from that diary if you decide to go in again. Most of the entries aren't as graphic as that."

"I…Spike, you want to go in again?"

Spike swallowed and smiled at her weakly. "If they aren't that bad, I could stomach it. When's the next date?"

Twilight flipped to the next page and it showed that the date was November 1&2 1981. "Looks like this is the next day and the day after. Shall we?" Spike nodded and she touched her horn to the page, transporting them both inside again.

When the scenery around them stabilized again, they found themselves on a quiet suburban street in the middle of the night that wouldn't look out of place on the outskirts of Manehatten. The strange part however was that every house on either side of the street looked exactly the same. The same lawns, the same mailboxes, the same color for the houses, it just seemed unnatural. Sure, there were some differences, like a birdbath here or different things she recognized as those _car_ things she had seen from the mirror world but the street looked so cookie cutter like that Twilight felt sorry for anyone who lived here.

"Where are we?" Asked Spike, looking around.

"Good question," said Twilight, looking at the numbers. Seeing a cat as the only thing alive and moving at this time of the night, they made their way over to that. The cat looked unremarkable, except for some markings around the eyes that looked like glasses.

Feeling that this cat was important, Twilight and Spike sat down on the low garden wall next to Number 4 and waited for something to happen. They didn't have to wait long before another figure appeared on the street out of nowhere. Twilight jumped down and saw that it was an old male human, very old judging by the color and size of his beard and wrinkles. He didn't seem that threatening but Twilight stayed on guard just in case, still shaken from the last memory she had seen from this book.

The old man rummaged for something in the old cloak he was wearing and pulled out something Twilight didn't recognize but seemed to be a small silver box like thing. The pony watched as the man flipped the top of the small hand held box thing and clicked something, causing the light of the nearby streetlight to zoom into it. He clicked it again and another ball of light from another streetlight was sucked in. He kept clicking until every streetlight on the street was out until they were plunged into almost total darkness.

"Uh, Twilight?"

"I got it." Twilight's horn glowed and a ring of light visible only to them allowed them to see everything within a certain radius. The occupants of the memory couldn't see the light and carried on with the memory like usual.

Turning their attention back to the old man, he had sat down on the same wall as the cat and was humming to himself slightly. Finally, after several moments, he spoke to it. "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

 _'_ _Professor?'_

Before Twilight could voice her thought out loud, she blinked as where the cat had been sitting was now a rather severe looking female human that while not as old as the ancient man next to her, still seemed to have a great amount of experience and wisdom. Professor McGonagall was wearing an emerald green cloak and tall pointed hat, making her look far more normal than her companion.

The woman sniffed. "How did you know it was me, Albus?"

Albus smiled slightly. "My dear professor, I have never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

"You'd be stiff if you had been sitting on a brick wall, all day," said Professor McGonagall.

"All day, when you could have been celebrating? I must have passed about a hundred feasts and parties on the way here."

"Oh yes, they're celebrating. I've heard the rumors and what people have been up to, it was on their news," she jabbed her thumb at the dark windows of Number 4. "Flocks of owls up and down the country, shootings stars over Kent, well they weren't completely clueless, they were bound to notice something."

"You can't really blame them, we've had precious little to celebrate for the last twelve or so years." He pulled out a small bag from a pocket of his robes. "Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"

"A what?"

"A sherbert lemon. They are a kind of Muggle sweet that I'm rather fond of."

"No thank you," said Professor McGonagall, as if she felt this wasn't the right time for sherbet lemons. "What I'm curious about, is if the rumors everyone is talking about is true or not?"

She waited for Albus to say something but the old man was fishing for another piece of candy from his bag and did not answer. Her expression clearly told her that no matter what everyone was saying, she wouldn't believe it until Albus told her it was true or not. She finally sighed.

"What they are saying, is that You-Know-Who-"

"Oh really, Minerva, must you use that name," chastised Albus, who was smiling. "I thought you of all people would call him by his real name. Voldemort." Minerva winced but Albus was choosing another sherbet lemon and didn't notice. "It gets so confusing to say all of that You-Who-Know nonsense. I never had any trouble saying his name."

"That's because you're the only person he ever feared."

"We're lucky it's dark, I haven't blushed so much since Madame Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs. In any case, Voldemort has powers that I will never have."

"Only because you are too, well, noble to use them."

"You flatter me."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Back on topic, the rumors say that You-Know…oh, alright, Voldemort, went after the Potters just last night. The rumors say that the Potters are…dead?" Albus inclined his head and Professor McGonagall gaped. "They are! Oh, I heard but I didn't want to believe it, oh Albus…"

"I know, I know," said Albus, his voice now sounding heavy and full of mourning.

"That's not all," said Professor McGonagall. "They say that he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Danielle. But it didn't work, that the curse rebounded, and that's why he's gone!" When Albus inclined his head again, Professor McGongall stared at him. "That's true! Of all the things that could stop him, of all the people that he's killed, he couldn't kill a little girl? How could that have happened, Albus?"

"We can only guess, we may never know," said Albus, who was now unsticking two sherbet lemons stuck together.

Twilight, who she and Spike had remained silent up until then, frowned. _'He knows…or he knows more than he's saying.'_

"Where is Danielle Potter now?" Asked Professor McGonagall, staring at him and the pockets of his robes, as if wondering if he would pull the girl out of them as well.

"Hagrid is bringing her," said Albus.

"You think it is wise, trusting Hagrid with this?" Asked Professor McGonagall, looking skeptical. "And why here, of all places anyway? What makes this house so special?"

"They are the only family she has left," said Albus heavily.

Professor McGongall stared at him before looking back at the dark windows of Number 4. "Albus, you can't really mean here? I watched these people all day and they're terrible! They have this son, I saw him kicking his mother down the street, screaming for sweets. Danielle Potter coming to live here? She will be famous, a legend, I wouldn't be surprised if today were known as Danielle Potter day in the future."

"Exactly. Better that she grows up away from all of that…until she is ready to handle it."

Professor McGonagall swallowed, looking like she wanted to say something before finally sighing. "Very well, Albus, I'll trust you on this."

Albus nodded and they lapsed into silence for several long moments, occasionally looking around as if wondering which direction this Hagrid would be coming from. The old man finally took out a watch and examined it. "Hagrid is late. I wonder if he-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off when there was a huge roar that got everyone's attention, especially Twilight's and Spike's. Looking around, they finally looked to see what appeared to be a headlight high in the air but approaching the ground fast. With a loud thump, a huge motorcycle that Twilight remembered seeing near Sunset Shimmer hit the ground, skidding to a stop near the two other humans.

Both pony and dragon's eyes widened when they saw the occupant of the motorcycle though. If the vehicle was huge, it was nothing compared to its rider. Standing at what was probably twelve feet tall was a huge man whose face was mostly hidden behind a large scraggly beard. His hands were the size of trash can lids and his feet were encased in what looked to be leather dolphins. Now that he was getting off the motorcycle he pulled out a bundle of blankets near him.

Albus and Professor McGonagall stood up and approached him. "Hagrid, thank goodness," said Albus, "where on earth did you get that motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore sir," said Hagrid, "young Sirius Black leant it to me. I've got her sir."

"No problems I hope?" Asked Dumbledore as Professor McGonagall took the blankets from the giant of a man.

"No sir. Fell asleep as we were flying over Bristol."

Professor McGonagall unwrapped the blankets enough to see Danielle's face and Twilight saw the cute face of the baby human again. The elderly woman shook her head with a small smile. "Looks so much like Lily."

"Indeed," said Albus, smiling himself. He took Danielle into his arms now. "Well, better get this over with."

Everyone swallowed as the old man approached the door of Number 4 and placed baby Danielle on the doorstep. Then, taking out a letter, he slipped it into the blankets as well and after a spell used to keep her asleep and warm through the night, he approached the other two adults.

For a moment, everyone stared at the bundle of blankets before Albus sighed. "Well, that's that. We have nothing else to do here so we might as well join the celebrations."

"Aye, sir," said Hagrid, moving toward the motorcycle. "I should be getting the bike back to Sirius Black sir." He kick started the bike and with an almighty roar, it launched itself into the sky and out of sight.

Albus turned to Professor McGonagall. "I'll be seeing you back at the school, I trust?" He didn't get an answer but they did see a cat running into the distance and was lost into the darkness. The old man shook his head and turned down the street. When he was about ten feet out when he pulled out the same silver box from before and a single click, all of the balls of light flew back where they had been taken.

Looking back at Number 4, Albus nodded. "Good luck, Danielle." With a small pop, he vanished.

Twilight and Spike could only just barely look at each other when the book spat them back out so they were back in Ponyville again. The Alicorn sat down and stared at the nearby wall, not sure what to say or do. Spike was much the same as they tried to process what they had just seen.

The new princess broke the silence. "Did they really just leave her on a doorstep like a bottle of milk? Not even waiting to see if anyone would take her into the house?"

"Pretty irresponsible, Twilight, I know."

"That's…that has to be criminal. Ugh, I need parchment and a quill to write all of this down. I have a feeling we're going to see a lot that will require me to take notes. Spike?"

"I'm on it, Twi."

XXXXXX

"Mistress, one of the monsters you had freed was destroyed last night."

"Yes, I had noticed when it never returned, fool. It was only a scout, though, and now I know that Ponyville is more interesting than I had thought if something is capable of destroying it. This might be a threat to my plans…proceed as planned but be ready to keep an eye on Ponyville, just in case."

"Yes, Mistress."

XXXXXX

Danielle smiled as she watched her newly adopted daughter play with some new toys she had bought for her the previous day. Sitting at the table with her arms crossed, she felt content as she thought about everything that had happened recently, though she was dreading the inevitable return of Luna as she knew the Princess of the Night would show up at her door at some point that day.

She had patrolled the previous night after making dinner for Riley, Cadence and Flurry and hadn't found anything wrong. Ponyville seemed like a sleepy little town then and she hoped that the Dementor the night before that was just a fluke. She didn't like how her instincts were telling her that it was part of a larger conspiracy, or at least something bigger than one Dementor, but she ignored it for now as she continued to watch the two fillies play She truly envied them and their simple lives but pushed past that as she continued with her thoughts.

Cadence was off in town, talking to the few friends she had in this town and trying to figure out what she wanted to do now. By all rights, she had more of a claim to the throne of the Crystal Empire than her now ex-husband Shining Armor, but proving it and going through the paper work would be a nightmare. Danielle knew she would rather have Cadence in charge as she was a good ruler and truly cared about others while she had only heard negative things about Shining.

It was about an hour before noon when the door knocked, indicating Danielle had a visitor. The moment the knocking started, Flurry paused what she was doing, paying attention with a razor sharp intensity. Riley was much more calm, but still nervous from the tenseness Flurry was feeling.

Danielle smiled at them reassuringly and opened the door, knowing that she would protect them if it was someone like Shining. Taking one look at the visitor she had, Danielle chuckled. "I knew you would show up at some point, Lulu."

Princess Luna smiled shyly on her doorstep, looking as impeccable as ever. Her midnight blue mane and tail constantly flowing behind her going very well with her navy blue coat. She looked more tired and more world weary than she had before the Nightmare Moon incident, but she still exuded beauty and grace extremely hard to copy. Luna's eyes showed how happy she was to see her, though, and Danielle couldn't deny that she probably had the same look in her own eyes.

"I had to see you again, Danielle, just to prove to myself that it wasn't a dream."

Danielle smiled and moved aside for Luna to enter the house, which the large pony did with only a moment's hesitation. Once they were both completely inside and in the living room, Danielle opened her arms with a smile. "I missed you, Lulu."

Luna nodded and they both embraced, standing on her hind legs as she did so, both glad to be in each other's arms again. The lunar princess sighed as she inhaled Danielle's scent, calming her down now like it always had in the past. Danielle could hear Luna's rapid heartbeat and rubbed the pony's mane and back soothingly, which only made Luna almost purr in happiness.

Separating, Danielle helped Luna get back down onto all four hooves and turned to a now calm and happy Flurry and a curious Riley. "Riley, this is Princess Luna, an old friend of mine and will probably come visit every now and then, right?"

Luna nodded and stepped forward to the two fillies. "Danielle means a lot to me and I promise I will do my best to make her and you happy."

Riley considered Luna for a few long moments before nodding and inclining her head to the Princess. Flurry didn't use the same caution and rushed forward, hugging a surprised Luna's side before they both relaxed into the hug as well.

"It's good to see you again, Aunt Luna," said Flurry, smiling happily. Her expression became worried. "Daddy isn't going to find out where I am, right?"

Luna scowled at the thought of Shining Armor but shook her head. "I have no reason to tell him where you are and have no interest in letting him know. Rest assured, Flurry Heart, he will not find out from me and I fully support you staying here for the moment."

Flurry nodded, now fully relaxed as she returned to her toys. Danielle caught Luna's eye and with a subtle nod, they headed for the kitchen table where they would have some privacy away from the two fillies. When they were both seated, Danielle smiled and Luna did so as well, both truly enjoying being in the other's presence again.

"Business before pleasure, Luna," said Danielle, sighing, much to Luna's annoyance and acceptance. "How bad is Shining Armor?"

Luna let out a breath and rested her back against the chair. "I didn't know Shining Armor too well, but I knew of him, before he married Cadenza and moved to the Crystal Empire. I mostly worked with the head of the Night Guard and not Captain Armor. That said, the files I read stated that he had wanted to get into the guard from an early age, tested as one of the best of his class and passed the needed tests to get in very well. Mostly due to the fact that his sister became my sister's student, Shining rose through the ranks fairly quickly. That's not to say that he's not competent, but it did help. From what my own captain has told me, Midnight claims that Shining was a good tactician, but he wasn't the best captain. The ponies under him said he could come up with various plans and strategies to win faux battles with no problem, but he secretly had a horrible temper when pushed and was fairly impatient.

"That said, I never really personally interacted with him very much, so what I mostly know about him is second hoof accounts."

Danielle nodded slowly. "Vices?"

"Other than the occasional drink, not really," said Luna, shrugging. "Any reason you are interested other than the fact you have his daughter in your house as a guest?"

Danielle paused, not sure if she should reveal what she found out, but sighed. "When I saved Cadence and Flurry and brought them here, I treated them for Dementor exposure like I was taught. However, I also found that they both had…well, black eyes, concealed with a fairly good illusion spell." Luna's eyes narrowed at the information and Danielle nodded. "I don't want to come out and say it, but if you claim that Shining Armor drinks occasionally and has a temper…"

Luna breathed through her nose heavily for a moment before sighing. "I have never been a huge fan of Princess Cadenza, as I'm sure you can figure out, Danielle." Danielle nodded sadly and Luna lost some of her hard look before she sighed again. "That being said, I cannot fault her for leaving him if we are right in our assumptions. Shining is currently in Canterlot, which has left the Crystal Empire without anyone to truly guard it I might add, and is arguing to officially take over Cadenza's royal title. He was a prince consort while married, but now he wants to be known as prince officially."

Danielle snorted. "That won't happen. The law states that one must either have the power needed to match an Alicorn, familiar ties to a royal family that is no less than two generations, or be married to royalty in order to obtain an official title. From what little I do know, Shining Armor's best bet would be to claim a royal title to protect Flurry Heart until she is of age, but since Cadence is still alive and has full guardianship of her, he can't use that."

Luna sighed and rested her head in her hoof. "Politics has never been my forte, you should know that, Danielle."

Danielle chuckled and nodded, reaching out her hand and holding Luna's hoof on the table, making her smile at her. "I don't care for it much either, leave that your sister as she can have it. Still, I've been around so many royal figures around the world that it was hard to not pick up something from them."

Luna smiled wryly. "Fixing their problems and adopting their children would do that, I imagine."

The human in the room snorted and chuckled again, which caused Luna to smile a bit, though it was somewhat sad. "I haven't adopted as many children as you seem to think, but yes, I have taken care of more than my fair share of young ones. I think you would like a few of them." She smiled sadly as well and squeezed Luna's hoof comfortingly. "I know what you are thinking of, Lulu."

Luna turned so she wasn't looking at her, not able to look her in the eyes. "No, I'm happy that you were able to be a parent, even if they were all adopted. It is a pleasure that you helped raise so many good ponies, griffins and more."

Danielle sighed and moved her chair over so she and Luna were face to face, moving her head so they were making eye contact. "I don't blame you, Lulu. I could never blame you for what happened so many years ago."

The unshed tears that had been plaguing Luna's eyes finally came out and, after sniffling a bit, broke down sobbing into Danielle's chest, causing her to hug her tightly. Danielle sighed mentally and did her best to calm down the distressed Alicorn, rubbing her back soothingly again and whispering things into her ear about how what happened was not Luna's fault.

"It is my fault," said Luna, muffled from hiding in Danielle's flannel shirt. "If I hadn't gone off to battle Sombra with you or Celestia-"

"Luna, Lulu, I don't blame you, alright? Yes, it was a mistake, but it was not you, but him, alright? I blame Sombra, not you, never you."

Luna sniffed and burrowed her head into Danielle's shirt again, not wanting to resurface. Danielle swallowed as her mind went back to that horrible day as well. She tried not to think about it, but Luna remembering it made her do so as well.

It was about two months after the first battle with Sombra and the Crystal Empire. The Elements of Harmony weren't working against him for some reason and they had to fight him personally to save the crystal ponies from his dark tyranny.

She still remembered that time fondly and was only surprised that it had taken so long. A couple of months before the battle, Luna had proudly told her that she was pregnant and she was the other parent. Danielle, knowing exactly how that happened, could only cry happy tears that she would be a parent with Luna who was about two weeks along at that point. She had wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to Luna until it was safe to do so, but Luna had never been one to simply stay at home when things were dangerous elsewhere and she was needed. Despite both her and Celestia telling Luna to take it easy and relax, the lunar princess had refused to lay down on the job and had entered the battle with Sombra with them.

Danielle had been distracted with Luna being in the fight that she hadn't even noticed herself taking more damage than she would have taken otherwise. What really got her though was when Sombra had gotten a lucky shot and had hit Luna in the side, making her crash into a few buildings. She still shivered at that as she remembered the rage and hatred she had felt at Sombra, pounding him into the ground over and over again for hurting Luna.

In the end, it hadn't mattered. Sombra got the last laugh in the end. Yes, Danielle had killed him, but he continued to exist through some spirit form like Voldemort had and had somehow managed to make the entire kingdom vanish until it returned centuries later.

It wasn't discovered until a day or two after the battle with Sombra did they discover that the spell Luna had been hit with had shocked her badly and the blunt force trauma through several buildings hadn't helped.

Luna would live, but she lost the filly.

Danielle hadn't moved from Luna's side for days after that, constantly reassuring her that she still loved her and more. It didn't help that Celestia a few weeks later had ordered them both to opposite sides of Equestria to deal with problems there. It hadn't been the first or last time Danielle had thought that Celestia had terrible timing and a lack of empathy for those closest to her.

Looking back on it, that might have been one of the final straws that had led to Nightmare Moon, but Danielle didn't want to dwell on the past like that, not when she had a still softly crying Luna in her arms.

"…Luna, please, listen to me when I tell you that I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself either. Yes, it was a mistake, but we are stronger than this and we can finally move past it. Let me help, Lulu."

Luna sniffled as she was running out of tears, looking up at Danielle, who gave her a look that screamed loving patience. Swallowing, Luna very slowly nodded. "…okay."

Danielle smiled and kissed the top of Luna's head, making her blush prettily. "That's my princess. Now, is there anything good that has happened since I've been gone? I can tell you all about the places I've been to."

Luna smiled weakly and nodded. "I'd like that."

When Cadence arrived back at the house about an hour and a half later, she was somewhat surprised to see Danielle talk to Luna at the table, tea in hand and hoof, talking about old times and laugh about the various people they remembered from back then.

"Remember when Starswirl first saw me?" Asked Danielle, her eyes showing her amusement, "I thought he was going to have a heart attack."

Luna laughed, nodding along as remembered that day. "I remember that he thought that Discord had created you from a variety of different species to cause chose among ponies. Ah, it took myself, Tia and Clover all to calm him down, didn't it?"

Danielle laughed this time. "He only calmed down because Clover had taken his hat! He loved that hat and wouldn't fire a spell off at all if someone took it!"

Luna snickered before she looked behind Danielle to see Cadence, nodding to her and turning back. "I think Princess Platinum almost had a stroke she was laughing so hard. She was so embarrassed that her number one magic user could be defeated so easily."

"And Commander Hurricane was taking notes the whole time!" Laughed Danielle, making Luna snicker as well, remembering that along with many other meetings the three pony tribes had made when they all agreed to combine into one.

Cadence stared at the odd sight in front of her as she had never seen Luna so happy and carefree but she shook off her surprise and, smiling herself, she approached them hesitantly. "You seem to be having fun, Princess Luna."

Luna stared at her for several moments, Cadence's smile sliding off her face as she felt she was being judged by the elder Alicorn. Danielle sighed and shook her head. "Really, Luna? Be nice."

Luna stopped and rolled her eyes, looking away from the younger princess to Danielle instead, making Cadence sigh in relief. "You know my feelings on the matter."

"I do, but Cadence doesn't deserve to be glared at like that."

"I wasn't glaring."

"Yes, you were, Luna," said Danielle, sounding more amused than chastising. "You're taking your anger and frustration out on her and she doesn't deserve it."

"I…I do not…"

"Luna…"

"…Maybe a little."

Danielle chuckled and shook her head, smiling. "You really haven't changed much, have you, Luna?"

Luna sighed, her expression saying otherwise. "I spent a thousand years reflecting on my mistakes, Danielle. I did come back changed."

"Yes, but not where it counts," said Danielle, smiling as she placed a hand on Luna's shoulder. "You still have a good portion of your humor intact and all you have to do it improve your image to the common citizen and you will be accepted again in no time. The rest will follow."

Luna looked doubtful but nodded, grateful. "Like how we still love each other?"

Danielle smiled and nodded. "Like that." At a look from Cadence, Danielle then sighed. "Speaking of which, Luna, Cadence here and I have been talking about a few things."

Luna's eyes turned slightly fearful. "Like?"

"Luna, do not take this the wrong way, I still love you, but…I don't think I can love you the way I used to, not right away, at least." The Princess of the Night was about to say something when she stopped, holding herself back from getting too upset. Seeing that Luna held her self from saying what she wanted, Danielle continued. "Luna, when we left off, we were constantly sharing the same bed, acting like love struck teenagers half the time and apart from each other on missions the other half. I've changed since then, as have you, like you said. I want us to start over as much as we can. I want us to go on dates, start our courtship over and really get to know how we are now."

The darker Alicorn swallowed and looked doubtful. "I…understand. It would be hard-"

"That's what I said," Danielle mock grumbled.

Luna smiled slightly. "But you are sure that this would be beneficial to our relationship?"

"I do," said Danielle, nodding. "We can't really expect each other to be comfortable for us to sleep together so soon after being apart for so long. I'm sorry, Luna, but suddenly going back to where we were will take some time for both of us." She then grimaced. "And, I'm very sorry for this, but you did kind of stab me before we didn't see each other for a thousand years, and that didn't help matters."

Luna flinched horribly, looking like she wanted to argue that point before she thought better of it. Calming herself, she sighed. "I can only offer the excuse that I wasn't myself when I…almost killed you. I am so sorry for that."

"Luna, I know you were Nightmare Moon at that point and I know you weren't acting like yourself, but you still did stab me after I failed to talk you down and that…hurt me, more than I thought. I still love you and want to be with you in the future, just give us both some time to get used to the idea again, alright?"

Luna swallowed and nodded. "Okay," she said in a very soft and vulnerable tone that caused Danielle's heart to melt and make it hard to not just hold her like she used to right then. Smiling weakly, the lunar Alicorn looked hopeful. "Would you like to go out with me?"

Danielle smiled and nodded. "I would love to. But before we do so, I should tell you something." Luna looked curious and a little cautious and Danielle sighed. "Luna, at this point in my life, I don't think anyone, even you, have exclusive rights to my heart. You probably have the best chance, but I do want to try dating again and with others. Luna, don't take this the wrong way, but I have a date with Cadence here tomorrow. Maybe nothing will come out of it, but I want to know if something might. Can you please not do anything to ruin this date, Luna."

Luna had a few unshed tears in her eyes but swallowed again, not answering right away. She was so confused as to what Danielle was asking for her and to her own emotions regarding everything. She had a date with Danielle coming up, which is what she wanted, but now Cadence, the pony she felt had replaced her and had never truly trusted, was getting the same chance she was getting. She so wanted to be selfish and only take Danielle for herself, not even allowing her sister to have her either, but she squashed that thought hurriedly. Selfishness and jealously had been the route to Nightmare Moon and she never wanted to go down that path again.

Still, it was just one date and it might not even go well, not to mention that Cadence was a single mother at the moment, which was not the best option for a single mare or human only wanting a casual date. She also still had the advantage over the Princess of Love as she had known Danielle longer than the other Alicorn, already knowing what she liked and able to woo her to a better degree than her competition.

Finally she nodded with a weak smile, wiping her wet eyes in the process. "Yes, of course, Danielle, Cadenza. I do not want to get between you two, as I am sure you will do the same for Danielle and myself?"

Cadence had been silent as Danielle and Luna had their conversation and had felt a multitude of different emotions from the normally stoic Princess of the Night. If Cadence was honest with herself, she was more than a little intimidated by the lunar princess as, even though she had done her best to act friendly toward her, Luna had always given her the cold shoulder and even ignored her at times. But now she was sensing Luna feeling emotions beyond the normal annoyance, exhaustion and mild depression but also happiness, joy, a strong sense of love, confusion, depression again, sadness and now finally resigned acceptance. She really did not want Luna to resent her if she could avoid it and while she would have liked a casual date with no expectations, she didn't want it at the cost of Luna's ire.

"Princess Luna," said Cadence, softly, "if you would prefer if I cancel my date with Danielle…"

"Cadence," said Danielle, firmly, "I'm not canceling our date and Luna here will have to accept that I'm single at the moment and am free to date whoever I want. That being said, Luna, I'm looking forward to what you come up with for our date."

Luna looked like she wanted to argue, but knew she was on thin ice and she should be grateful to getting a second chance like she was, so she swallowed her pride and nodded, not like she had much before this meeting anyway.

Danielle saw it and sighed, "Luna, I love and care about you, but I think it's pretty obvious we're not engaged at the moment like we used to be. I want to love you as you are now and not as you used to be and just because I want to go on a date with someone else, doesn't make me love you any less. Please, trust me on this."

The lunar princess let out a deep breath, clearly relaxing now as she gave a shy smile. "Understood. So, anything happier you want to talk about?"

Danielle and Cadence smiled and the younger princess sat down at the table, not as intimidated by Luna now as she usually was. It really helped when Luna smiled. "You two must know so much, having been around for so long and having met so many people."

Danielle chuckled at Cadence's words. "I've met a lot and remember a lot as well. Luna, remember Queen Jade?"

Luna blinked before scoffing. "With how amazing she was at her famous berry pie? I don't think anyone could forget her. Now she was a ruler one could be envious of."

"Queen Jade?"

Turning to see that the speaker was Riley, who had wondered over after getting bored and wanted to see what the adults were talking about. Flurry was right behind her and jumped onto the nearby chair to get a better vantage point.

Danielle smiled and conjured a chair for Riley, who sat down with no hesitation. "Queen Jade was the ruler of the Crystal Empire before Sombra took over. Amazingly sweet pony as she came up with a lot of the customs still celebrated today. She taught Celestia, Luna here and I as much as she could about ruling before she was defeated and brought down."

Cadence sighed. "I managed to read a bit about her but most books about her weren't found in the Crystal Empire. I think Sombra probably burned them when he took over. I can't find much about her and I want to."

Luna nodded. "Sombra was a general in Queen Jade's army and was one of the most loyal and fierce fighters in her employ. How he eventually fell from grace and took over…I suspect either Discord or Grogar, but I'm not sure."

"Grogar?" Asked Cadence, never having heard that name before.

Danielle made a face of disgust that made Riley smile a bit. "Extremely dark necromancer that toyed with the art for fun on his off time. I believe he was a sheep, a ram to be precise, but he was so dark that he put a lot of the monsters I've fought with to shame. He was taken down eventually, cast into Tartarus for all eternity and sealed so tightly he can't come back, but he was so dark that he corrupted many that just accidentally wandered too close to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he had made a base in the far north and Sombra had been charged with getting rid of him, becoming corrupted in the process."

"It would make sense," said Luna, nodding. "Still, Queen Jade was the better ruler, even coming up with a way for ponies to live so far north when most went south."

"Why did they move south?" Asked Riley, confused, "Because of the Windigos?"

"Partly," said Danielle, resting her arms on the chair as she thought of her answer. "You see, many thousands of years ago, most ponies of Equestria used to live in the far north, for some reason I will never understand." Where what she used to call Canada and the Arctic, actually. "While most moved south for warmer weather, the Windigos didn't make things any easier, especially as they had no way of getting rid of them back then. Now, back then, the three tribes still didn't like each other, but a unicorn named Jade refused to move south, stating that it was her home and she would find a way to make it work. Working hard, she finally found a way to make a strong enough shield to keep the snow and ice out."

"Like what the Crystal Heart does now?" Asked Flurry, sounding curious.

Danielle blinked and chuckled. "That thing still works? I thought someone else would have found something better by now. I didn't think I made it that durable."

Cadence stared at her, surprised. "YOU made the Crystal Heart? Really!"

Danielle chuckled and leaned back in her chair. "The Crystal Heart was a piece of crystal Jade, Luna, Celestia and I found when we were exploring that area's caves. I think this was only a year or two after the two sisters got me out of that coma. Anyway, it wasn't that hard to heavily enchant and imbue the power of Jade's love powered shield magic into the crystal. Unfortunately, it required a pretty good amount of love based magic to give it a kick start needed to protect the Crystal Empire, but Jade made it work. She fully planned on having it protect her city after she was gone, at least until a better solution was created."

Cadence continued to stare at her, eyes wide as she sat in her seat. "That is…amazing. You can enchant to such a level?"

Danielle chuckled again. "Cadence, enchanting was a hobby of mine since I was a little older than Riley here. It was one of my favorite classes back when I was going to school and no one was better than me. I was mostly good at enchanting, offensive and defensive magic and warding, or putting up various kinds of protective barriers." She then frowned and started grumbling. "I still hate math though, stupid Arithmancy."

Cadence giggled and Luna had a fond smile on her face, remembering how much Danielle had complained about that so many years ago.

"So, any other stories?"

XXXXXX

After filling in two rolls of parchment of various things she thought might be important, Twilight figured she was ready for another jump into the diary. Discord had left awhile ago but Spike was willing to give it another shot with the promise of trying to leave if it got too intense for him.

"You sure you want to go in again, Twilight? We can always leave it for tomorrow."

Twilight had thought of that but shook her head. "No, there are too many questions I want answered to wait until tomorrow. You don't have to come, Spike, I won't ask that of you."

"And I don't want to leave you alone in there," said Spike firmly.

Smiling at her number one assistant, Twilight flipped the diary to the next page. The date was a few years after the last one at the twentieth of August, 1985. "So, Danielle would be…five years old in this one?" She shrugged and touched her horn to the paper, sending both her and Spike into the memory.

Seeing that the scenery had stopped shifting, Twilight saw that they were inside of a painfully bland house that lacked any kind of originality at first glance. They were standing in a hallway right next to a living room with the only things she could see were a door that probably led outside to her right, another door that had a kitchen beyond it on her left and a staircase in front of her to the second floor.

Raising an eyebrow at what she was supposed to be seeing, a fairly horse faced human woman came down the stairs, grumbling to herself. She was blonde and extremely skinny, much more so than the other humans Twilight had seen so far, and was wearing a lurid pink apron. The woman opened a door on the side of the stairs that Twilight and Spike had thought to be for a closet when they blinked at seeing a little ragged red haired bundle curled into a moth eaten blanket.

"Wake up, girl!"

The bundle stirred and sat up to reveal that it was a fairly sleepy Danielle. Twilight was now fully realizing that this cupboard under a staircase was Danielle's room and her eye started twitching so much she almost missed what was next. The woman grabbed Danielle by the arm and pulled her out of the cupboard, showing that the little girl was only wearing a large t-shirt several sizes too big for her and clearly male underwear that was just as clearly worn by someone else before her.

"Make breakfast and make it right this time, girl!"

Danielle flinched and nodded. "Yes, Aunt Petunia."

Now Spike was getting just as angry as Twilight as they followed the little human girl through the door into the kitchen as the older woman went back upstairs. "They're making what is essentially a little filly cook breakfast? Dressed like that?"

"It would seem so," said Twilight, her voice even but full of hidden anger. They watched as Danielle had to pull a stool to the kitchen counter and started to make breakfast, cracking eggs and frying bacon, which made Twilight wrinkle her nose and Spike to look curious at the strips of meat.

"This is too much work for a little girl," muttered Spike as they watched, both horrified by what was going on and a bit intrigued at the cooking skill Danielle was showing, which was above average for a beginner.

They continued watching as the rest of the family entered about ten minutes after Danielle had started. Petunia sat down but also a fat walrus of a man came in along with what seemed to be a human like pig that learned to walk on his hind legs. Twilight examined everything with a sort of laser like focus and quickly deduced what that Minerva woman had meant by these humans being the worst sort of people imaginable. She couldn't detect any sign from her various friendship lessons any of the kindness, generosity, or affection she was used to seeing and it was making her sick. It was like these… _people_ , only just barely liked each other and even then, it was more like a united front against Danielle that kept them together.

Danielle barely got any of the breakfast she had made and ate as quickly as possible, leaving the house as soon as she was done and dressed. Following her around, Twilight deduced that since it was August, she was off from school or something and simply tried to enjoy the neighborhood.

"Everyone on the block," said Spike, looking around at the various people on the sidewalk, "even they don't like her."

It was true as random neighbors either glared or sneered at Danielle, moving their children away from her. Twilight overheard something about Danielle being a troublemaker and she was nothing more than a burden on her aunt, uncle and cousin, but to her, it just seemed wrong.

Ending up at the park, Danielle sat down next to a tree and simply relaxed, closing her eyes to the world and everything around her. Twilight had to smile at that, having found peace in nature a few times when she was younger as well, well, at least before she had been accepted by Celestia to be her student.

Twilight and Spike realized as they watched that everything seemed to be going much faster than usual, like time was moving faster. Realizing quickly that the diary was speeding through the unimportant parts of the memory, it slowed back down to normal when the sun was at the point a little before noon.

"Ah, is little Danielle alone?" Asked a voice in a mock baby tone. Danielle sighed as she stood up from her tree, looking at her cousin and his cronies, three other boys that were almost as big and stupid as Dudley was.

"Don't do this, Dudley," said Danielle, sounding bored. "Leave me alone."

"Ooh," said the gang mockingly before they burst out laughing. "She sure showed us," said Piers, smirking.

"Want to give her a head start this time?"

Dudley shrugged. "Eh, why not? You get about thirty seconds."

Danielle smiled slightly. "I don't think you can count that high," she said, before taking off, making her cousin's gang cry out in fury and start chasing her around the park. Every adult nearby just shook their heads at their antics but didn't say anything, clearly used to this kind of behavior.

Twilight shook her head sadly as she and Spike watched. Danielle clearly did not deserve being chased around in a bullying manner by her own cousin and especially without an adult nearby to help her. Throw in the lack of a loving environment and wearing hand me down clothes from a male family member and Danielle was pretty much a poster child for abuse and neglect.

While she had no way to prove it, Twilight was sure that Danielle had gone through verbal and emotional abuse with possible physical as well. She hoped it didn't go beyond that but even that was worrisome.

"Twilight…" said Spike warningly, knowing what Twilight was thinking of.

"Spike, statistics prove that abused children often become abusers themselves."

"Twi, her records have shown that she's great with fillies and colts. Various rulers stated that she would be a great parent. She's adopted enough to have shown that."

Twilight frowned but didn't answer, just watching as Danielle stayed ahead of her cousin and his gang with little effort, not sure what to feel.

The memory didn't go past Danielle making a simple dinner for herself and her relatives before being forced back into her cupboard. Coming out of the diary, Twilight sighed and sat down for several long moments, thinking about everything while going through some deep breathing exercises. Spike was much less calm and left the room for several long minutes, furious about something as he worked out his anger and frustration.

Letting out a breath slowly, Twilight's horn glowed and she levitated a quill over to the parchment set out and ready and started to take a few notes on what she had seen, wondering what was important and what wasn't. There had to be a reason she was seeing these specific memories that Discord hadn't told her and she was going to find it!

When Spike came back, he looked calmer but still angry about what he had seen. "Let's go back."

Twilight looked at him and his stern expression and decided that doing so could possibly calm him down. Turning the page, she saw that the date was a few years after the last one at June 12, 1991.

"Danielle should be around eleven at this point. Let's go." Spike didn't need to be told twice and held onto Twilight as they were sucked into the memory again.

Everything righted itself and they found themselves back in Danielle's relative's house, back in front of the cupboard under the stairs that Twilight was starting to hate. Spike rolled his eyes at where they had ended up in again and they watched as Danielle's cousin, who was even larger and fatter than before, was jumping up and down on one of the steps. "Wake up cousin, we're going to the zoo!"

The door to the cupboard opened and a clearly ten or eleven year old Danielle was visible for just a moment before her cousin pushed her back in unceremoniously. A thud from inside the cupboard told Twilight that she had crashed into the back wall from the force of the shove and the Alicorn's eye started twitching again.

Reappearing a moment later with a large sigh, Danielle made her way into the kitchen where Petunia was fawning over her son.

"Oh, there's my Dudders, there's my little angel!"

"Happy birthday son," said Vernon, nodding to Dudley with a gruff smile.

When they saw Danielle, who was still dressed in her cousin's old cast offs, Petunia glared at her. "Just make breakfast and try not to burn anything."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Yes, Aunt Petunia," she got to work making what she normally made.

Petunia meanwhile was holding her hands over her son's eyes. "I want everything to be perfect, for my Dudley's special day." She removed her hands and revealed a large pile of presents on a side table, making Twilight and Spike shake their heads at the sheer number.

"I know that I didn't get that many before going…uh, horde mode," said Spike sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head, "but that many can't be good for this guy."

"And I'm not getting you more as I don't want another horde mode incident happening," said Twilight sternly. "Still, this boy is clearly a spoiled brat."

Dudley was counting his presents and his face fell. "Twenty-six? That's two less than last year!"

"Dudley, you didn't count this big one from your Aunt Marge, under the big one from mummy and daddy," Petunia cooed at him.

"So spoiled," said Twilight.

"Alright, twenty-seven then," said Dudley, who looked to be on the verge of a temper tantrum. Danielle made sure to set down the breakfast on the table and started eating her small amount quickly in case Dudley turned the table over.

Petunia apparently sensed danger too as she wrapped her son into a hug. "And while we are out today, we'll buy you two more presents. Is that alright, popkin. Two more presents."

Dudley screwed up his face in thought, it looked like hard work. "So I'll have twenty…twenty…?"

"Twenty-nine, sweetums," said Petunia.

Twilight's eye was twitching like crazy now. "Dear sweet Equestria and Celestia, he can't even count! That's the most basic of the-" the rest of her words were lost in garbled faux swears and she felt her brain short circuit at the sheer stupidity she was watching.

Vernon chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "Little tyke want's his money's worth. That a boy, Dudley."

"Encouraging such behavior," muttered Twilight, her already low opinion of these people dropping even lower.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a ringing noise she thought might be from a human telephone and Petunia left to go answer it. While she was gone, Dudley started ripping open presents, revealing a lot of things that looked shiny and fancy but overall useless. He was ripping the wrapping off a gold watch when Petunia came back with a worried look.

"Bad news Vernon, Mrs. Figg has broken her leg, she can't take her," she said, jabbing a thumb at Danielle.

Spike looked at Twilight. "Family friend?"

"Possibly."

"Now what?" Asked Petunia, "We can't bring her with us to the zoo."

"We could phone Marge," suggested Vernon.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl."

From the look Danielle was giving, the feeling was completely mutual. The memory sped up slightly and Twilight and Spike were soon standing in front of what was clearly a zoo, following Danielle and her relatives inside. Twilight was seriously wondering how bad this 'Marge' could be but if she was anything like these humans, she wasn't holding her breath for someone decent.

Twilight and Spike watched as Dudley and a friend of his were treated much better than Danielle as they walked around the zoo, the auburn haired girl staying far enough away from them that they were in sight, but not included in their family outing. The Alicorn's eyes narrowed as even though she was being starved for basic affection, Danielle was actually having a good time. Was even this kind of outing, where she was excluded but still out of the house, that much of a treat for her?

After lunch, Twilight grimaced as she and Spike followed the humans into the reptile house, forced to listen to Dudley and his friend go on and on about huge snakes. Spike smiled slightly at Twilight. "I thought you were over your fear of snakes?"

Twilight made a face. "Over my fear and liking them are two completely different things, Spike."

They quickly were standing in front of a huge snake tank where a very large boa constrictor was currently sleeping in. It could have crushed Vernon's car into a trash can if it wanted to and Twilight was trying hard to wince at the sight of it, having never liked snakes. Spike had no problem whatsoever and actually jumped on the small railing around the tank, trying to get a closer look.

Dudley looked at his father. "Make it move." Vernon knocked on the glass but the snake didn't budge. "Do it again!" His father rapped on the glass again with his knuckles but the large reptile snoozed on. "This is boring," he whined and walked off, his parents and friend following him.

Danielle stayed by the snake tank however and sighed, looking back at the snake. What happened next made Twilight blink and shudder slightly. "Sorry about that, he's a moron." Twilight heard the English, but she also heard a faint hiss at the same time and she wasn't sure what that just was. Had Danielle just tried to speak to the snake?

Spike seemed confused too but they were distracted when the snake moved so it was eye level to the human girl on the other side of the glass. It winked.

Twilight stared. Thanks to the time she had spent with Fluttershy, she knew that snakes didn't have eye lids so how was that even possible? Not to mention how the snake seemed able to understand Danielle and she wasn't aware that humans could understand animals.

Danielle seemed just as confused but seemed curious as well. "Can you understand me?"

The snake nodded and looked up at the ceiling, giving a very good look that said, 'I get that all the time.'

"How is this possible?" Asked Twilight, not understanding any of this.

"Who cares, this is awesome!" Said Spike, smirking at the idea of Danielle being able to understand snakes.

Danielle looked around to see if anyone was looking at them and saw that no one was so she continued. "The sign says you were bred here in the zoo. You want to get out of here, don't you?" The snake nodded again but Danielle sighed. "Can't help you there, I'm afraid. But-"

"Dudley! Mr. Dursley! Come quick, you won't believe what this snake is doing!" Yelled Dudley's friend and the fat boy came waddling over quickly.

"Outta the way, you!" Dudley gave Danielle such a hard elbow to the ribs that the redheaded girl crashed to the ground with a grunt, making Twilight and Spike wince at the impact.

Dudley was pressing himself against the glass when Danielle glared at him, growling. What happened next made Twilight blink when the glass in front of the tank simply vanished. Dudley, who had been pressing all of his weight against the glass, found himself struggling not to fall until he lost his battle with gravity and fell in, splashing into the water at the bottom of the tank.

The snake itself saw its chance and slithered right out of the tank and onto the floor. It hissed something to Danielle that Twilight couldn't understand but the human girl nodded, shocked as well, and the snake made its way out of the reptile house, much to the screams of the other zoo guests.

Dudley stood up and tried to get out of the enclosure when he was blocked by the glass that had reappeared, trapping him inside the tank. Twilight had to struggle not to laugh at the chubby human boy's misfortune while Spike was rolling on the floor laughing. It only got better when the two older Dursleys came around again and saw their son inside the glass, Petunia screaming in horror while Vernon's face turned red.

The memory sped up again but Twilight was able to make out a meeting with the zoo keeper who had freed Dudley and the car ride home. The memory went back to normal speed then and Petunia ushered Dudley up the stairs and Vernon grabbed Danielle by the hair, forcing her against the stairs. "What happened?" He growled.

Twilight's eyes narrowed in extreme dislike as Danielle's own widened in fear. "I don't know!" Vernon growled and banged the back of her head against the wall next to her cupboard door. "I swear, one moment the glass was there, and then it was gone! It was like magic!"

Vernon forced the door to the cupboard open and shoved Danielle inside before slamming the door closed. "There's no such thing, as magic!" Said Vernon harshly through the grate in the door before closing that as well, forcing Danielle into complete darkness.

The memory ended and Twilight and Spike were standing in their castle again. Both looked at each other, each with their own murderous expressions and they both stalked off in opposite directions, needing to vent the anger they were feeling before they could get back to the book.

 **Hope you liked it as I plan on turning this into a full story and I have a ton of ideas for this. If you have questions or comments, I can try and answer them in the next chapter. Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shorter than the last chapter, I know, but I wanted to post SOMETHING after so long. I'm not dead, but I have had A LOT of things to deal with in a little something called the 'real world.' Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

Danielle smiled a little sleepily as she relaxed in her new favorite chair in the house. She had gone out and bought some comfortable furniture, shrinking them down in the store for her to enlarge later when she placed them around the house to her liking. While the house had a ways to go for it to become a true home, it was a good start and Danielle was seriously considering the idea of keeping the house after this job was done.

She was currently reclining in the armchair she had bought, Riley in her lap as she lazily stroked her fingers through the napping filly's mane. Ponies were suckers for someone with fingers petting them. All of them. It was an undeniable fact and Danielle knew that all too well as she petted Riley.

Near her on the couch, Cadence was taking a nap with Flurry tucked under her wing, not asleep but close to it as she lay on the comfortable cushion. Luna was in a nearby armchair, curled up and sleeping comfortably for her duties later that night.

It had been decided with no issues whatsoever that it was a lazy afternoon to do nothing and everyone was making the most of it, no one wanting to go out into the snow again anyway. Danielle had nothing to do until later that day so she could afford to spend her time bonding with her new adopted daughter.

Danielle smiled as she worked her fingers through Riley's lush green mane. In the short time she had known her, she could tell that Riley was a sweet heart that wasn't very sure of what her place in this world was at the moment. She needed a stable home life before she could figure that out and Danielle sighed, knowing she would have to settle down somewhere for a while to get her what she needed.

Now that she had confronted Luna and Celestia, she should stay in Equestria, for Riley's sake if nothing else, and the Canterlot/Ponyville area would be best. As long as Celestia stayed away from her for the foreseeable future, she could handle living here and acting as a guardian and protector.

Say what you wanted about her, but she WOULD give any of her children, adopted or otherwise, anything to make sure they had a long and happy life. She guessed it was because she had never had a good childhood herself that she saw that part of life as so precious. Still, she wasn't looking forward to Riley's teenage years, that was for sure. Luckily, she had grown so used to it from her previous children that she knew how to handle it with few problems.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard someone knocking on her door, signaling that she had a visitor. Raising an eyebrow at that, she looked down to see that Riley hadn't woken from her nap but Luna had, being a very light sleeper when she wanted to be.

Danielle and Luna looked at each other before the human opened the door. Her curious look instantly turned deadpanned, annoyed even. "Tia…what a surprise."

Celestia smiled down at her, looking a little sheepish at coming unannounced like she had. "Danielle. Is this a bad time?"

"No, you're just interrupting nap time," said Danielle, her annoyance growing slightly.

"Sister, what are you doing here?" Asked Luna, making herself visible from behind Danielle, frowning at her elder sister.

"I cannot come visit?"

Danielle sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What do you want, Tia? Really?"

The large Alicorn looked slightly sheepish and looked at everyone in the house, who were all now fully awake and curious as to what was going on. She turned back to Danielle, who still looked fairly annoyed. "I know you are not my biggest fan at the moment, but all I am asking for at the moment is to talk. That's it. Preferably somewhere private."

Danielle continued to stare at her before sighing again, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Follow me. Riley, I'll be right back, just give me twenty minutes, max, okay?"

Riley nodded, moving closer to Luna surprisingly and Danielle left the house, Celestia following her as she walked to the side of the house. Casting a barrier around them so they couldn't be heard by anyone around them, she looked at the large princess. "I'm waiting."

Celestia sighed, looking down for a moment as she regarded the human in front of her cautiously. "I noticed that you and Luna's relationship is recovering nicely."

Danielle's eyes narrowed and Celestia mentally winced, obviously now realizing that that wasn't the right thing to say. "Luna might have hurt me, but she is truly apologetic about it and I trust her. What do you want, Tia?"

"Honestly?" Celestia's shoulders slumped and she sat down in the snow. "I'm not sure. I've wished for you to come back, so I can apologize, for centuries, and now that you're back…I can't figure out what to say." She let out a breath that was visible in the cold, the mist hovering between them for a moment before it dissipated. "I want to get to know you again, as I want you to know me as well. I know, I have no right to ask you for anything, but I really wanted to just see you again with my own eyes, make sure I had not imagined seeing you yesterday when you fought Discord."

Danielle's eyes slightly softened, but were still hard by the time Celestia was done. After a few long moments, Danielle gave her a look. "You're asking me for a date?"

"Well, that is a simplified explanation of what I had said, but correct," said Celestia, smiling slightly now.

Danielle breathed in and out slowly and carefully, her eyes closed for a moment before she opened them again. "I need to know a few things first. First, what is the status of Shining Armor? I am not letting Cadence go anywhere near Canterlot alone if he is there and she's staying with me for now, which makes her my responsibility."

Celestia winced. "Former Captain and Prince Armor is currently being investigated for several crimes, including but not limited to domestic abuse, child abuse, and several questionable decisions he had made in his tenure as my Captain. As much as I don't want to take sides in this conflict, I admit that I do trust Princess Cadence more than Shining Armor with this."

"And the status of her as Princess of the Crystal Empire?"

"Intact, I assure you. Once all of the bureaucracy is finally over, it will be safe for Cadence to go back to the Empire. I hate to say it, but there were several citizens there that approved of Shining Armor more than Cadence and they will have to be taken care of before she can take the throne again."

Danielle sighed. "Politics. Until then, she's staying with me and that's non-negotiable. Good thing that Riley and Flurry get along for the most part. Now, if I were to accept this date you are offering, what would I be expecting?"

Celestia smiled at the change of topic. "There is a very nice mixed restaurant in Canterlot that caters to every species and it would be no problem for me to arrange for a private setting for us. Say, Saturday night?"

"Three days away…" Danielle thought about it and slowly nodded. "Fine. I have a date with Cadence tomorrow night and Luna the night afterwards, so that leaves Saturday night free for me." She noticed Celestia's face fell when she mentioned her other dates and she smiled a little vindictively at that. "Celestia, I'm single, that means that I'm allowed to date around again with no strings attached. If you want me to pick you, then work at it."

The large princess frowned but slowly nodded. "Very well. I can see that my normal methods won't work…like always with you."

Danielle smirked and Celestia rolled her eyes at the look, which of course only made the human's smirk grow wider.

The human among the two of them finally sighed. "Alright, subject change to something more serious. What is the status on these missing ponies?"

Celestia frowned in worry. "I…am not sure. There doesn't seem to be a pattern except that the disappearances started on the west coast and continued east until it came here. My spies and agents cannot find anything at the moment, though they are looking into it."

Danielle frowned as well. That implied that the disappearances started around what used to be California or Oregon and was now here in the Ponyville/Canterlot area. Canterlot was built where Washington DC was and Ponyville is in northern Virginia, about thirty miles from the capital.

It always weirded her out that Equestria used to the United States, but that's what happened when humans had been gone for so many millennia.

"Now, about your fight with Discord," said Celestia, her tone becoming more lighthearted.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Is this the part where you try and scold me for fighting with him in a populated area? Because in my defense, I wasn't expecting him and wasn't thinking straight. Who in their right mind could think that Discord could be redeemed or even try?" She paused and looked at Celestia knowingly, her eyes narrowing as the large princess looked sheepish. " _You_."

"In my defense," said Celestia, purposely using her own words on her, "I did give Twilight the means to take him down again at any moment. And I trusted Fluttershy the most with the task as she had been heavily resistant to his abilities the last time he escaped."

Danielle stared at her for a moment before sighing, looking at the cloudy sky in exasperation. "I don't like it. I really do not like it…but I guess it's too late to tell you how stupid your idea was, so I have to put up with it. The moment he screws up again, which I know he will, I'm taking him down, hard."

"I believe that he has feelings for Fluttershy…and she does too."

"…Of course she does," said Danielle, letting out a breath in frustration. "I take it she was the pegasus yelling at me to stop pounding on him? That would make it harder to beat him if he screws up again."

"Relax, Danielle," said Celestia, smiling knowingly at her. "You always did tend to worry too much about possible threats."

"And you always buried yourself in running the country too much to be healthy and you start getting bad ideas as a consequence," Danielle shot back, though she was smiling too. She then sighed and shook her head. "Dang, we're arguing just like old times, aren't we?"

"Too true," said Celestia, still smiling as she stood up on four hooves again. "I should get going. But I am looking forward to that date."

Danielle waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, just pick me up when you're ready to go. And yes, I'm the girl for this date so you have to pick me up and plan everything."

Celestia shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll see you then." She spread her wings and took off, leaving Danielle watching her go with an odd look on her face.

Sighing, the lone human in the world made her way back into the house to see that everyone had been listening at the door. Raising her eyebrow at them, she smiled when they all pointed their hooves at everyone else, indicating who they were blaming. Rolling her eyes with a smile, she wasted no time in sitting down in her comfortable arm chair again, Riley jumping into her lap for her to continue to pet her again.

XXXXXX

Letting out a breath slowly and deliberately, Danielle pursed her lips slightly as she wondered what exactly she wanted to say and how to say it. She was currently leaning against the wall of Riley's room as the young filly brushed her teeth, getting ready for bed.

This conversation she would have with Riley would not be fun, but necessary.

"Miss Danielle?" Asked Riley, curious as to why her guardian was in her room, looking serious.

The human smiled slightly and sat down on Riley's bed, the filly cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Riley, we need to have a talk about a few things. Nothing bad, just to clarify a few things, okay?"

Riley nodded slowly and a little nervously as she jumped onto the bed as well. Danielle let out another breath and looked down at her adopted daughter, giving her a fond look. "First, I want to make absolutely sure that you're okay with everything that's happened in the last few days. Any questions you have?"

The filly frowned before nodding. "You and Princess Luna, how close are you two?"

Danielle smiled, chuckling. "Luna and I were together/together a…very long time ago. We had a bit of a falling out about a thousand years ago but we're going to try and see if we make it work again."

"Two mares can be together?"

"I'm not really a 'mare'," said Danielle, smiling and Riley rolled her eyes. "But yes, it is possible and actually fairly common in mare dominate towns like Ponyville. Now in Stalliongrad in Germany, it would be more common for…well, I think you get the idea there. Luna and I worked out pretty well as she's partially immortal as a naturally born Alicorn while I am immortal."

"Wait, so…Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight aren't immortal?"

Danielle shook her head. "They are both ascended Alicorns, starting off as a pegasus and a unicorn respectively. They'll both live a little longer than average, maybe a few extra decades, but no, they're not immortal. The part of that spell that gives even partial immortality was removed after an…incident."

She was not going to mention Astelle, as that would be a bad idea all around.

"And Flurry Heart?"

The human opened her mouth, closed it, and turned thoughtful. "That…is a very good question. She is a naturally born Alicorn, even if she didn't come from two Alicorn parents, so she has a very good chance of being partially immortal as well. We'll just have to wait and see on that front." She shook herself and looked down at Riley again. "Any other big questions?"

When Riley shook her head, Danielle nodded and continued. "Then we can get to the real reason I wanted us to talk. After my fight with Discord, you said something that worried me, that it didn't matter if I destroyed a part of Ponyville as long as I put it back together again."

"Well, you did."

"Riley, I put innocent lives at risk in my blind anger. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have taken the fight to the outskirts of the town where there wouldn't be any chance of anyone getting hurt."

Riley hesitated before slowly nodding, seeing the logic in that. Danielle continued, "Riley, I know we haven't known each other long, but I already care about what happens to you and I want what is best for you. Soon, you have to go to school-"

"Do I have to~?" Riley whined a bit, interrupting her.

Danielle gave her a stern look and the filly shrank slightly, causing the human to sigh. Running a hand through Riley's mane softly, the filly slowly relaxed again and she leaned into the touch after a few moments.

"Yes, Riley, you do need to go to school. The question is which one you want to attend as there are a few options. Would you like to go to the same school as Sweetie-Belle and her friends, or the one for gifted unicorns in Canterlot? You don't need to choose now, but when you are ready…"

Riley sighed and nodded, toying with a small hoof for a moment before looking up at Danielle. "I'll think about it."

Danielle nodded with a smile and, giving her adopted daughter a final hug, she left the room for her nightly patrol. Knowing that Cadence and Flurry would be fine without her for a few hours, She didn't feel bad about leaving them in the house, especially with several new wards on it to protect everyone inside.

Checking various places around Ponyville via flying was fairly boring as it really did seem like a normal sleepy town, especially with the snow on the ground everywhere.

She was about to call it a night when she spotted a butter yellow pegasus near that cottage she had found a few nights ago. The mare was tending to something in a tree but Danielle couldn't tell right away what it was.

Remembering that this mare had been one of the few yelling at her to stop fighting Discord the other day, Danielle frowned in thought, wondering if she should keep going or talk to her. After several long moments, she shrugged and flew lower, able to see what the mare was doing up close.

Smiling, Danielle watched as the pegasus mare was apparently tucking in some birds and squirrels in the tree, wishing them a good night and asking if they needed anything before bed. The sheer acts of kindness made it far too obvious that the mare was the embodiment of the Element of Harmony in question.

Humming, seeing that she hadn't been noticed yet, Danielle created some soft noise just loud enough for the mare to hear, bringing her attention away from her work in her general direction. The mare saw her and squeaked, her eyes widened as she paled slightly, eyes darting everywhere for an escape route.

Danielle mentally sighed and smiled as much as she could. "Hi, you're…Fluttershy, right? Celestia told me a bit about you."

"P, Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy asked shyly, hovering in place as she flapped her wings rhythmically. "I…uh…"

"It's okay to be scared of me, Fluttershy," said Danielle, a bit sadly as her smile turned sheepish. "I know I didn't give off a very good first impression to most of the town, what with the Discord incident and all." She shrugged and continued, "Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and apologize for scaring you a couple of days ago." She turned to leave.

"Um…" said Fluttershy quietly, clearly not sure what to do or say. "Are you really old friends with the princesses? Oh, uh, you don't have to answer if you don't want to…"

Danielle turned back curiously and her sad smile returned. She gestured toward the ground and they both landed, Fluttershy a bit grateful that she didn't have to strain her wings after what was probably a long day for her. "I knew both Princesses Celestia and Luna a long time ago, before the whole Nightmare Moon thing." She breathed in and out slowly. "Look, I am sorry for beating up your…friend, Discord," she made a face at the mention of him, "But we really hated each other a while ago and I just acted, not thinking about what I was doing."

Fluttershy nodded, accepting the apology but also seeming to argue with herself about something. "Would you like to come inside? You don't have to, but if you want to get out of the snow…"

Blinking, Danielle's expression turning a bit amused. "If I would not be imposing."

"You wouldn't. I don't have any guests over and Angel is more grumpy than usual, so I could use the company."

Danielle nodded and they both headed for the front door of the cottage, opening the door for the pegasus, who nodded gratefully as they entered. Looking around, the human nodded at the homey, comfortable feel the home had. It actually reminded her of a cross between Hagrid's hut and the Burrow back before all of this happened to her. A small examination could also show that various animals were also scattered around the room, including birds, mice, chipmunks and a surly looking rabbit on the couch, looking impatient at getting attention from the pegasus.

Though the rabbit in question did look both annoyed and fearful when he saw Danielle before he ran off, probably to find a hiding place until she left.

"Would you like some tea?" Asked Fluttershy, playing with her hooves on the floor as she looked at Danielle expectedly.

"Thank you, but no thank you," said Danielle, sitting down at the offered chair Fluttershy gestured toward. "I don't want to take up too much of your night." Fluttershy nodded and sat down on the nearby couch.

For several long minutes, neither spoke and allowed the silence to surround the room, though it wasn't uncomfortable. Fluttershy was clearly not a mare that needed background sound all the time and Danielle was patient enough to simply sit there for them to gather their thoughts.

Danielle finally sighed and looked at the mare near her. "You really are the Element of Kindness, aren't you? I really can't sense any unease in you right now."

Fluttershy looked at her in surprise before giving a soft smile. "Well, I…you don't seem that bad right now, so I have no reason to be scared."

"Even after you saw what I'm capable of?"

The mare shook her head. "I think you had a good reason for fighting Discord, and you were punished by the princesses unfairly. I think it balances out."

Danielle snorted as she smiled. After a few more moments, she chuckled and relaxed into her chair. "If I could tell you something in confidence? When I bore the Elements of Harmony with Celestia and Luna, I had both Magic and Kindness." She emphasized the latter, to Fluttershy's slightly widened eyes at the information. "That might be why I wanted to make sure you didn't fear me. I don't know."

Fluttershy was silent for a moment, humming as she mulled over Danielle's words, before smiling gently. "Is it strange? Being here, in Ponyville?" Danielle cocked her head slightly, questioningly and Fluttershy elaborated. "Twilight told me about an adventure she had once, where she had been human a couple of times. I've never seen any in this world, but I don't think there are too many of you…"

As she trailed off, Danielle had a sudden flash of memory, a mirror that led to another world she had studied once. She shook it off and sighed, her eyes dimming slightly as her gentle smile grew a little more forced. "I'm the only human left in the world. I'm immortal, Fluttershy, I can't die. Even Celestia and Luna can be killed, even if they are so durable that it would be extremely hard to do so, but not me."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, a lost look appearing in her eyes for a moment before it was gone the next. "I am eternal, never dying, never aging, never being able to move on and see my old friends and family again. Never seeing any of the various children I adopted a long time ago ever again, just…" She paused as she tried to organize her thoughts. "I am a constant that is even more persistent than Celestia and Luna, just as much as Discord. I do my best to help, to use the power I have to aid others as much as I can."

She gave a humorless laugh as she thought about that. "I'm not perfect, and I never thought that I was. I love, I hate, I try to help, I lash out at those I dislike. I…" She trailed off, not sure what else to say. Had she ever really talked about this stuff with anyone? She didn't even notice the soft tears leaking down her face as she was so lost in her thoughts.

Fluttershy, who had remained silent as Danielle talked, hummed slightly and gave Danielle a reassuring smile. "I think you're good." Danielle looked at her through slightly damp eyes and the shy mare continued. "I saw you adopted a young filly and she is starting to trust you. A bad pony wouldn't do that."

Danielle gave a soft laugh and looked at her oddly. "Sorry, but…you just reminded me of something an old friend used to tell me. She used to tell me I had a 'saving people thing.' I know it's extended to ponies as well."

Fluttershy gave a comforting smile and nodded. "Rainbow Dash has something similar to that, as do most of my friends. I think you will fit in."

Element of Kindness indeed, Danielle thought as she settled herself for a lighter conversation before she had to go home.

XXXXXX

"July 23, 1991," said Twilight as she read the next part of the journal for her to watch. She was starting to get tired of watching memories for the day and was planning on this being the last one before she went to bed.

She really found this fascinating, getting to know someone by looking through these memories. At the back of her mind, she knew this was probably breaking some sort of rule about personal space but she was just too curious to stop now. Spike had gone to bed, it being far too late for him to stay up so she was on her own for this memory. She just hoped it wasn't that long.

Touching her horn to the paper of the book again, she felt the now familiar sinking sensation and the castle faded around her to be replaced by the Dursley house on Private Drive. Wincing at the sight of these extremely bland walls again, she immediately looked at the cupboard under the stairs again.

Not having to wait long, an almost eleven year old Danielle stumbled out of her cupboard sleepily, yawning. Twilight really tried hard not to wince at the clearly second hand clothes the human was wearing, knowing she wouldn't subject anyone, let alone a young girl, to wear their MALE cousin's old castoffs.

Twilight watched as Danielle entered the kitchen to see Petunia working on some pot on the stove, seeing the young human's nose wrinkle at the horrible smell it was producing.

"Um," said Danielle, looking at the pot, which seemed to be filled with gray water, "what is this?"

Petunia turned to glare at her for asking a question before snorting. "Your new school uniform."

Both Danielle and Twilight blinked at that as they both noticed fabric in the pot as well as the water, probably Dudley's old clothes. "Ah…what does the uniform look like again?"

Petunia gave her an unpleasant look. "Gray. It'll look like everyone else's when its done."

By the look on her face, Danielle doubted that very much and Twilight wondered what horrible school would force their students to wear such a bland color.

The door to the kitchen opened and both Dudley and Vernon entered, both with unsettled looks on their faces from the smell of Danielle's new uniform but neither commented on it, simply sitting down at the table. A few minutes later, as Danielle started getting everything out to make breakfast, they heard the clink of the mail slot.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Vernon, pulling out his morning paper and flipping to a certain page.

Dudley, who had a long stick in his hand for some reason, looked at him. "Make her get it," he said, pointing at Danielle as she cracked some eggs.

"Get the mail, girl."

"I'm making eggs."

"Poke her with your smelting stick, Dudley."

Twilight stared in bemusement as Danielle dodged the stick and left the eggs with Petunia to get the mail. Curious, the Alicorn followed Danielle to the front door and saw that there were three items. A postcard, an envelope that looked like a bill, and a strange one with Danielle's name on it. The lavender pony had to squint to read the address, but what she saw filled her with horror.

 **Miss Danielle Potter**

 **The Cupboard Under the Stairs**

 **#4 Private Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey**

Under the address was a coat of arms of a lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake, all surrounding a large letter H. What filled Twilight with horror was the obvious sign that those people who sent Danielle to these awful humans knew where she slept and had not done anything about it.

She had no doubt that those old humans and the giant that had dropped Danielle here had also sent this letter. The old female human had even said that these humans here were horrible and she had allowed it despite any reservations she had.

How long had these people known about Danielle's living situation and had not done anything? How many times could they have come to rectify her home life but had, again, abandoned any responsibilities toward her? This address proved that either these adult magical humans could have solved a young girl's problems with her life and hadn't done so, or they were truly more ignorant and neglectful than she had thought possible.

She didn't like the idea of either outcome.

For her part, Danielle just stared at the letter addressed to her in surprise, the shock of getting anything addressed to her must have left her speechless and unable to respond. The human girl shook herself out of her shock moments before Dudley grabbed Danielle's letter from behind her before she could react.

"Dad, Dad, she's got something!"

"Get back here!"

Chasing after her whale of a cousin didn't do much as Dudley got to his father before she could do anything. Breaking into the kitchen, Danielle's eyes widened at seeing Vernon already holding the letter, Dudley smirking at her. "That's mine!"

Vernon scoffed. "Who would be writing to you?" He flipped the envelope over and read the address along with the coat of arms below it. It didn't take long before his normally red face turned white, eyes darting across the words on the parchment frantically. "Pe, Petunia!"

His wife took a millisecond to take in the situation and seemed to know exactly what was going on. Her own eyes were wide, breathing now frantic and shallow as she stared at the envelope, horrified. "Vernon. Oh my goodness…Vernon!"

Twilight honestly thought that was melodramatic but it seemed to snap the obese man out of his reverie and looked at everyone in the room. "I want to read that!" Yelled Dudley as he attempted to take the letter from his father when the older man stood, glaring at both children in the room.

"OUT! OUT OF THE ROOM, NOW!"

Without so much as a warning, he picked up both children by the scruff of their necks, Danielle choking slightly, and threw them out of the kitchen in a heap. Dudley quickly got to his feet and tried to see what was going on through the keyhole as his cousin recovered and glared at him reproachfully.

Twilight was just amazed that someone could by that cruel to family members as Danielle really did look like she couldn't breathe for a moment there. The idea of family doing that to each other was such a foreign concept to her. She had seen Dudley be a bully to Danielle, and had seen a lot of evidence of emotional and psychological abuse, but Vernon throwing his niece out bodily from the room…

Listening, the two humans and Alicorn were able to hear what the two parents were talking about in the kitchen.

"Just look at this address," said Petunia, sounding distressed. "They know where she sleeps! Do you think they're watching the house?"

"Watching, maybe even spying," said Vernon, the sound of his shoes on the tiles implied that he was pacing.

"What do we do, Vernon? Do we write back? Tell them we don't want a…"

The sound of pacing stopped. "No, we won't respond. We don't tell them anything. We'll ignore it."

"I don't think that'll work," said Petunia, sounding skeptical.

There was a loud thud on the wooden table, Twilight assuming Vernon had banged his fist into it. "I won't have one in the house, Petunia! We swore when we took her in that we would put a stop to all that rubbish!"

Twilight swallowed, not liking the sound of that. It was almost impossible that they were talking about anything other than magic, but one couldn't _just_ get rid of it. Limit it, yes, make it inaccessible, of course, but no one could just remove magic from a person or pony.

The scene around her skipped forward to later that day and Twilight saw Vernon now back from work, opening the door to the cupboard under the stairs. Danielle didn't say anything the moment she saw her uncle, just narrow her eyes and gave him a look. Vernon was clearly trying to be polite as the smile he was giving looked painful.

"Danielle," he said, looking like actually saying her name was a swear word, "your aunt and I have been talking, and we think you're getting a little too big for this cupboard."

Considering that it would have been too small for someone half her size, it was amazing he hadn't been arrested for child neglect and child abuse already. Twilight's eyes narrowed, wondering what his game was as Danielle did the exact same thing. "Why?" She asked slowly.

"Don't ask questions!" Said Vernon loudly, his voice shaking some spiders on the cupboard ceiling loose. Forcibly trying to calm himself down, he put that painful smile back on his face and continued. "Just…take all of your things to Dudley's second bedroom."

That only made the Alicorn's eyes widen, making her freeze.

 _'_ _They had a bedroom for her this whole time…AND THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT TO HER!'_ If the house truly did not have the extra space for Danielle, she could, very reluctantly, accept that the cupboard could work in the short term. But this, finding out that the Dursleys had a second bedroom for their fat pig of a son while depriving their niece of that space, was not only cruel, but completely inhumane.

Watching Danielle move her things into her new room, Twilight suddenly had a thought and she felt the beginnings of guilt come to her. Just days ago, she had denied Cadence and Flurry a room in her castle when she had too many to spare herself.

As soon as the guilt appeared, it vanished like magic. Cadence shouldn't have left her brother…right? She was…in the…right, correct?

Twilight groaned, rubbing her head with her hoof as she felt like she should feel more guilty than she did about her treatment of Cadence and her daughter…her own niece…

The pony's head felt like it was about to explode and she focused on the memory to distract herself from her own conflicting thoughts and emotions.

Dudley's second bedroom, now Danielle's room, was full of junk and looked more like an unkempt storeroom. Twilight shook her head at the sight of broken gadgets and toys, unread and dusty books, and the cot in the corner looked ready to fall apart, but it was still better than the cold floor of the cupboard. It had only taken Danielle one trip to move everything she owned to her new room and, after gently placing them on the bed to sort later, the human girl in question sat on the cot in contemplation, breathing in and out slowly.

From downstairs, they could hear Dudley whining. "I, I need th, that room! Make her g, get out!"

Both Danielle and Twilight snorted in disgust and the human girl sighed, resting on her back as she stared at the ceiling, likely trying to figure out what to do now.

The memory sped forward to the next morning and Twilight was in shock when she saw what Dudley was prepared to do to get his second room back. The fat boy had done everything from whack his parents with his stick, been sick on purpose, thrown a turtle out through a greenhouse roof (Twilight was angry on Fluttershy's behalf on that), had several tantrums, and he still didn't have his room back.

For her part, Danielle simply sat at the breakfast table as her aunt actually prepared the food that morning, looking at everyone at the awkward atmosphere. Vernon and Petunia kept glancing at each other, almost like they had had a fight recently and tensions were still high.

The tension only grew louder when they heard the click of the mail slot.

Vernon instantly got to his feet and bolted out of the kitchen, determined to get to the mail before anyone else. Dudley was hot on his heels, too curious about what the big deal was to keep his wide behind in his chair. Danielle continued to sit at the table, looking wistful, but knowing that she wouldn't be able to overpower her obese relatives so her common sense overruled her curiosity this time.

It didn't take long before the sounds of Vernon and Dudley wrestling in the hallway died down and ripping paper could be heard, indicating that Vernon probably had found another letter to Danielle and destroyed it.

Twilight could only shake her head in bemusement as the memory skipped over and over again, showing that more letters came each day in increasingly implausible means. _'If these humans could send all of these letters, wouldn't their time be better spent just to come in person?'_ It didn't really seem like it made sense to her, but that was just her opinion. But really, why use magic to hide the letters inside of egg shells, or other ridiculous ways when coming and explaining everything in person would be more efficient?

Several days after the first letter had appeared, it looked like the Dursleys were about to catch a break. Vernon seemed to be in a particular happy mood at breakfast that morning, which was not a good sign. "Ah, fine day, Sunday. In my opinion, best day of the week. No mail today, no sir."

An odd custom to not receive mail on one of the days of the week, but far be it from a magical winged unicorn to make judgement calls on something like that.

Vernon helped himself to his food, so distracted that he didn't notice he was spreading marmalade onto his newspaper. "Not one single blasted letter today! Not one-"

He was cut off when a letter shot out of the chimney and smacked him in the back of the head. Slowly, everyone turned to look at the rumbling chimney before it started shooting about forty or so letters out rapidly like bullets, flying around the living room and kitchen area. Petunia shrieked, pulling Dudley to the floor and Vernon cried out in alarm but Danielle, smirking, started grabbing them out of the air.

When the redheaded girl rushed out of the kitchen, Vernon seemed to know exactly what she had and bellowed like a wounded hippo, rushing after her. "Give me that! Give me that letter!"

Danielle was tackled to the floor in the hallway, her uncle trying to wrench the letters out of her hand as she was squeezed to death due to his bulk. It didn't help when the nailed up mail slot broke and even more letters came streaming in.

"That tears it!" Yelled Vernon as he finally grabbed the letters his niece had. "We're going far away from here. Meet me by the car in ten minutes. Just pack some clothes, no arguments."

Everyone swallowed at the dangerous look in his eyes and rushed to their rooms to pack, not wanting to provoke the fairly insane man. Twilight could only shake her head at the stupidity of not only Vernon, but also of the people sending these letters. Again, a simple visit to the house in person would eliminate the problem, instead of trying to give Danielle and the Dursleys severe paper cuts due to flying letters. Also, if these magical humans were this determined to give Danielle this letter, then running halfway across the country wouldn't help.

The Alicorn watched as Danielle packed her meager clothes supply into a simple and unadorned backpack, sigh heavily, and walked outside to the car. The look in her eyes proved to Twilight that Danielle didn't really care for this, but had to go along with it in fear of her uncle going even more crazy than he already was.

Their trip was constantly postponed as Dudley kept trying to bring fancy electronics and other things he didn't need. Still, Twilight glared when Vernon cuffed his own son upside the head for holding them up, threw out the useless gadgets, and threw the bags into the boot of the car.

While the memory didn't show the entire trip, Twilight saw that the dysfunctional family drove for hours in a seemingly random direction. Vernon didn't answer Petunia when she tentatively asked where they were going and so the family rode in silence. They didn't stop to eat or drink all day and just kept driving. Twice, Vernon would turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake them off. Shake them off," he said every time he did this.

They stopped at a small motel for the night with only two beds in the room. Vernon and Petunia got one, Dudley got the other while Danielle was forced to make herself comfortable in the plain armchair in the corner.

That morning, their continental breakfast was interrupted by a woman who was probably the manager of the motel. "Excuse me, is one of you a Miss Danielle Potter? We just got about a 'undred of these at the front desk." He held up one of the letters and even at a distance, Twilight was able to make out the address.

 **Miss Danielle Potter**

 **The Small Armchair**

 **Room #17, Railview Motel, Cokeworth**

Twilight shook her head with a sigh, all of her worst fears about this magical community growing by the minute. Danielle raised her hand, probably on instinct, when Vernon slapped her hand down.

The woman stared at the display.

"I'll take those," said Vernon, following the woman out of the room.

Twilight groaned as the memory sped on again, showing the humans on the road once more. It was clear that Vernon was trying to find a safe haven away from the letters but since they were being delivered by magic, it would be almost impossible for them to get away entirely.

Several times throughout the day, Vernon stopped the car, get out, look around, shake his head and start driving again. He did this at the top of a multi-level parking garage, the middle of a suspension bridge, and a random field home to several dairy cows.

With another time skip, the car was now being parked on a random beach. Vernon got out of the car, locked the others inside and walked off in a seemingly random direction, making the three still in the car look at each other worriedly.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Asked Dudley, sounding oddly resigned to the fact as he silently bemoaned the fact he had missed all of his television shows and that he had never gone so long without playing one of his computer games.

Petunia didn't answer as they sat in the car, looking extremely bored and worried. The three humans and one Alicorn looked at the sky as more and more dark clouds moved in, the wind picking up as a storm started to brew.

After about half an hour, Vernon was back and he was smiling. He had a couple of shopping bags and a long thin box, not answering his wife when she asked what he had bought. "Found the perfect place," he said, his smile a bit maniacal.

Getting out of the car, they followed him a short ways and they saw where they would be staying for the night. Twilight was looking in horror at a possibly two room shack on a large rock sticking out of the ocean maybe an eighth of a mile off the coast. Vernon's smile did not reassure any of them, "This fine gentleman has agreed to lend us his boat." He gestured to an old man who would look at home in a horror movie, "I've already got us some rations, so all aboard!"

This was far too much for Twilight, who's eye was twitching again, but she was too curious to see where this was going to leave the memory now so she was toughed it out, knowing that Danielle made it out of this okay.

By how much the young redhead was shivering in the boat, it looked freezing as water kept splashing into the boat as they rowed it toward the hut on the rock. It really made the Alicorn wish she could help as even a simple warming charm would do much to alleviate the problem, but she was in a memory, only able to see but not touch or interact with in any way. So Twilight could only sigh and watch as the humans finally made it to the hut and make their way inside.

The interior of the hut was exactly what one would think. The wood was soaked through and smelled heavily of seaweed. There were only two rooms, a living area that only had a disgusting looking couch and an empty and damp fireplace and a bedroom with an almost as bad looking bed inside.

As Petunia tried not to gag and started to at least make Dudley a bed on the couch, Vernon brought out his rations, which turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire in the grate but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. "Could do with a few of those letters now, eh?" He asked.

His good mood was definitely due to the idea that no one would be crazy enough to deliver mail all the way out here and if Twilight didn't know Ditzy, she would agree with him. That wall eyed pegasus would find a way, she knew it, but she wasn't here and she doubted a non-magical human would do the same thing.

Everyone turned in early that night but while the three Dursleys at least had some kind of bedding, Danielle was forced to find the softest bit of floor she could and use her remaining clothes as a blanket, shivering the entire time as she tried to get warm.

It all made Twilight want to help even more, as Princess of Friendship, she was starting to get a sense of what someone truly wanted, even if they didn't know themselves. A bit creepy, but all the Alicorn could tell that all Danielle wanted was someone to care about her. It didn't matter who or what, just someone to either act as a friend, role model, parent or other. It broke Twilight's heart to see the little girl like this, especially when it became Danielle couldn't sleep and to distract herself, drew a circle in the dirt on the floor. Inside the circle, Danielle wrote three words that made Twilight's heart break even more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE.

Looking at Dudley's watch on his fat wrist, it showed that it was almost midnight. The two girls, one human and the other pony, watched as the time ticked on until it was a few seconds away to the new day.

Then, the watch gave a short beep that it was midnight.

BOOM!

Everyone jerked toward the door from where the boom came from. There was someone outside the door, knocking to come in.

Twilight, wondering who it was, was suddenly and rudely thrown out of the book and back in her own body in her castle, wondering who in Equestria could that have been.

XXXXXX

Used to waking up early on her various adventures, Danielle was no stranger to being the first one up. Still, she was used to being up only when her internal alarm went off and not due to external stimuli. Therefore, when Danielle woke up earlier than usual that morning and felt that something was on the bed with her that hadn't been there before, she was instantly alert and awake.

"Hands…"

With a blast of magic and a yelp of pain that was instantly silenced, Danielle was glaring at the intruder in her room, let alone her house. The offending party showed that it was a sea green unicorn mare with a mane that alternated between green and white. Her eyes were orange and her cutie mark was a lyre, proving that she probably had a speciality in music.

Getting out of bed, Danielle made her way to the currently levitating mare that had a modified body-bind on her, forcing her into a position only somewhat uncomfortable for a pony but still allowed her eyes to move frantically.

"Breaking into my house, stupid. Breaking into my room, very stupid. Who are you and why were you examining my hands?"

The body-bind undid itself enough for the mare to talk but all it did was allow her to fully express herself. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! An actual human! And she's using magic on me! I have so many questions I want answered! Oh, I'm Lyra and I am the most renowned human expert in Ponyville. I just had to meet you when I heard you were in town and your fight with Discord really proved how tough humans really are. Oh and-"

Danielle sighed and rubbed her face with her hand, knowing it was far too early for this. She let the mare talk for another few moments before she made for the door, a levitating Lyra behind her as she still babbled her questions. Riley, still sleepy, poked her head out of her door and frowned as she watched what was going on before going back into her room, not wanting to get involved.

When Danielle opened her front door, she blinked when she saw another pony with her hoof raised, apparently about to knock on the door. The earth pony in front of her had a cream colored coat, a two-toned mane of light and dark purple and a cutie mark of a trio of candy. "Hello?"

The mare cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly at me. "Uh, excuse me, but have you seen…" she trailed off as she noticed Lyra still babbling questions behind Danielle and her expression turned exasperated. "There she is. Lyra, it's me."

"Bon bon!" Lyra chirped cheerily, unable to wave or move any part of her body. "I've done it! I found a human!"

"Yes, you and the rest of the town," said Bon bon, sounding tired of this. She turned to Danielle, who now looked faintly amused. "Sorry about her, she gets a little…excessive sometimes."

"If I give her to you will you try and prevent her from breaking into my room at night?" Asked Danielle.

Bon bon placed a foreleg to her face and groaned before she nodded. Danielle levitated Lyra out the door and dropped her, undoing the modified body-bind at the same time. The sea-green unicorn didn't seem fazed at all and bounced back extremely quickly. "I have sooooo much to tell everyone! Just wait, Bon bon, I'll-"

She was silenced when Bon bon shoved a hoof into her mouth, glaring at her. "We're going back home and I'm giving you the personal space talk again!"

"Again?" Lyra whined as the other mare grabbed the unicorn's tail with her teeth and dragged her off through the snow. Lyra, now on her belly as she was dragged off, still waved to Danielle as they left. "I LOVE YOU!"

Danielle wondered if she could make a ward that blocked stalker fan girl unicorns as she went back into the house to make breakfast, sure that everyone was awake by now.

XXXXXX

It took some time for the both of them, but Danielle and Cadence agreed that if they were going to go on one date to see how it went, they might as well do it right. Danielle took in a deep breath as she adjusted her dress, a modest green one that fell past her knees and barely showed off any cleavage, which she appreciated. Being a redhead, green suited her very well and Rarity did a very good job on it.

"Yes, I thought so," said the fashionista unicorn herself. Rarity was standing in Danielle's room as she examined her work and nodded in appreciation. "You look fabulous, darling, as I knew you would in that ensemble."

"Thanks Rarity," said Danielle, nodding as she examined herself in the mirror. It wasn't fancy enough to take to a gala, but for a simple casual date, it was stunning. "Thanks again for foal sitting Riley and Flurry. I don't think Cadence and I will be out too long, just a few hours."

Rarity waved a hoof dismissively. "Think nothing of it. I've watched my sister enough times to handle two fillies like those two. Especially since they are nothing like Sweetie and her friends."

"A bit full of energy, are they?"

The fancy unicorn gave a dramatic sigh. "I love them to pieces, but they can be exhausting at the best of times. Oh yes, they have gotten better, but even a few years ago they were a nightmare. It was actually Fluttershy that managed to get them to calm down enough for me to watch them on a more regular basis."

Danielle nodded, internally chuckling at the thought of a trio of hyperactive fillies driving their sitter crazy. "I'll have to meet the other two, then. I've only met Sweetie-Belle so far and not for too long."

"Sweetie-Belle is having a sleep over herself with her friend Applebloom," said Rarity. "And I had no orders to take care of so I can spend a few hours helping a new friend prepare for her date. Though the fact that it is Cadence was a surprise, darling. I didn't even know anything was wrong with her marriage."

Danielle nodded mutely for a moment before taking another deep breath. "Yeah, apparently they didn't want anyone to think that anything was wrong. Well…I better make this date one to remember. I'm just nervous as I haven't been on one in over a thousand years."

It still surprised Rarity to hear how old her new friend was but she took in stride as much as a lady could. "I want to say that it is something you never fully forget, but I'm not so sure how much it affects immortals. Still, I know you will be able to woo our princess of love with confidence."

Danielle tried hard not to chuckle at that. "It's just a casual date, Rarity. It's nothing serious. Cadence and I both know that." She figured she had adjusted her dress enough and nodded. "Okay, I'm ready to go. Remember that neither of the fillies have eaten yet so I'm afraid you'll have to make something for them. I've found that Riley is a bit picky about eating green vegetables while Flurry will eat almost anything. There are some books that Riley likes in her room and-"

"And I'll be able to handle everything else while you enjoy yourself," said Rarity primly, now almost pushing Danielle out the door. "I have everything well in hoof here and you have nothing to worry about."

Danielle sighed as they went down the stairs to the living room, grabbing a handbag on the way out, Cadence and the two fillies waiting for them. The Alicorn of love was wearing her standard princess ensemble of her tiara, chest piece and horse shoes, but they had been polished until they were gleaming and it was obvious she had spent more time on her hair and coat than usual. All in all, she looked stunning while not making herself go overboard. Again, it was a simple date and not the Grand Galloping Gala.

Cadence smiled at seeing Danielle approach, looking very good in that dress of hers. "Danielle, you look beautiful." The human blushed slightly but nodded with a grace she had perfected over the years. The mare then turned to the two fillies. "Flurry, behave for Rarity, alright? Don't cause any tantrums, be in bed by the time I get back-"

"I get it, mom," said Flurry, smiling as she hugged her mother. "Have fun."

"Riley," said Danielle, bending down so she was closer to the filly's eye level. Riley didn't look very enthusiastic about being left behind while her guardian went on a date night but she tried to give a weak smile of understanding. Danielle gently rubbed the filly's ears with a sad smile of her own. "I'll only be gone for a few hours, I promise that I'll be back soon. And I know you still have your mirror, right? You can call me up if you really need me."

That made the green filly's smile grow slightly and the two shared a brief hug before they separated. "Okay, take care of them Rarity. I don't think you have too much to worry about but-"

"Danielle Potter, I will be fine with these two," said Rarity, a little sternly but smiling as well, showing that she was teasing. "Go and enjoy yourselves."

Both Danielle and Cadence took a deep breath and nodded, Danielle opening the door for her date and Cadence accepting with a smile as they walked into the snow covered streets. It was early evening so there was still some daylight but the cold weather required them to use a warming charm on themselves to keep the chill out.

"They'll be fine," said Cadence as they walked to their destination. "Flurry isn't one to cause mischief for no reason any more and Riley is strong. They'll be okay with Rarity."

"I know," said Danielle, nodding as she tried to smile to her date. "Sorry, I just haven't been on a date in centuries and I'm just worried about the girls. I'll be alright by the time we get there."

Cadence smiled and softly bumped into Danielle's side. "I haven't been on too many dates myself so you're not the only one nervous. Come on, we're supposed to enjoy ourselves out here."

Some tension visibly drained from both of them as Danielle nodded, her smile becoming more genuine. "Yeah, you're right. Let's enjoy ourselves. We've earned an evening to just ourselves like this."

Her smile widening slightly, they finished walking to the restaurant in comfortable silence about a minute later. The _Gilded Truffle_ was Ponyville's only semi-fancy restaurant and one would normally need a reservation to get in, but due to the winter weather around them, it would seem that it wasn't as busy as usual.

Considering that Ponyville only had a cafe, a bakery and a fast food place other than this restaurant, options were pretty limited unless they wanted to go to Canterlot.

Walking inside, again Danielle holding the door for Cadence as they entered, they found that it was exactly what the human had been expecting. While it wasn't a super elitist or snobby restaurant, the employees still wore crisp and clean uniforms, there were a few chandeliers on the ceiling and the lights were dimmed somewhat to make a somewhat formal dining experience.

The host's kind smile faded somewhat at seeing Danielle but it brightened at Cadence, obviously recognizing her. "Welcome, two for tonight?"

They both nodded and were led to a booth near the back of the restaurant where they weren't obvious, but not hidden entirely. It gave them the illusion of privacy while not making it obvious and Danielle had to nod at the choice, seeing that the host was either lucky to give them this booth, or she knew what she was doing.

Both sitting down, the host gave them the menus. "A server will be with you shortly."

Nodding to her with a kind smile, she left and Danielle wondered if she should peruse the menu or talk to Cadence. It had been so long before she had done something like this that she was starting to get nervous again.

"Danielle, please, relax a bit," said Cadence over her own menu, making the human look up at her. "I promise that I won't bite."

Danielle sighed and nodded again. "Sorry, again." She frowned slightly before giving the mare a knowing look. "Empathy power?"

Cadence looked surprised for a moment before she nodded. "It's a bit of a side-effect of becoming Princess of Love. I can sense what emotion someone close to me is feeling if I focus enough. I don't use it all the time, but sometimes it's hard not to pick up something."

Danielle nodded in understanding. "I have a similar problem with…I suppose you could call it minor telepathy. It's not really that, but close enough in that if I don't focus on keeping somebody out, I get a read of their surface thoughts."

"You can tell what someone is thinking as they are thinking it?" Asked Cadence, surprised and impressed.

"I have to focus at least some every week or so to keep up my mental barriers so I don't accidentally find out everything about everyone," said Danielle with a shrug. "I don't like it and when I slip by accident, it has gotten me in trouble, but it's just one thing I have to live with."

Before Cadence could say anything, their server finally approached with a smile. "Evening madams. Are you ready to order?"

It became apparent they weren't as they had barely glanced at their menus and they both shook their heads. "Sorry," said Cadence apologetically, "we could use some more time. But if you could bring us some water, that would be wonderful."

"Water sounds good," said Danielle, agreeing.

The server nodded and left politely, this probably happening more than a few times before. Now alone again, Cadence looked back at Danielle with interest. "If you can read my surface thoughts, than what am I thinking right now?"

Danielle gave her a look but Cadence was smiling almost teasingly, making the human chuckle. "Okay, okay, we'll play your game." She was silent for a moment as she looked at the mare in front of her before her eyebrow raised. "Really? Was that a fun nursery rhyme when you were younger or something?"

Cadence smiled with a small blush of embarrassment. "Yeah, that was a silly song and dance I came up with when I was a foal sitter as a teenager. The fillies and colts loved it."

Danielle shook her head in bemusement as the server brought their water, whom they gave a nod of thanks to. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake. Well, I would be surprised if fillies and colts _didn't_ like that song."

The princess of love snorted and smacked Danielle's arm slightly from where she was sitting. "Jerk. I was very popular with them as a teenager."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," said Danielle, smirking as Cadence was starting to do the same, "It's very cute. You were no doubt very good with young ones even back then so I would say that motherhood suits you very well. I've seen you with Flurry and Riley. You're a natural."

Cadence blinked before she blushed, feeling flattered by the very honest and candid response. In order to hide her blush, she looked at her menu as she finally started to pick what she wanted. Danielle's smirk turned into a genuine smile as she did the same, giving them both some time to recover.

After a few more minutes the server came back to ask for their orders. Considering that the dining room wasn't even half full, it was clear that the employees were having a slow night and that suited the two just fine. "Are ready to order now?"

Cadence nodded and went first. "I'll have the lasagna with a daisy salad, thousand island on the side, please."

When the server turned to her, Danielle turned back to her menu. "I'll have the stuffed manicotti with roast asparagus on the side. For an appetizer, I'll take the house salad but could I get it without the flowers on it?"

"Of course."

"Perfect. Oh, and blue cheese dressing on the side if you could."

The server nodded, writing it all down before taking their menus. "I'll put these orders in. It should not take too long." He left with a promise to refill their glasses and the two were alone again.

"No flowers, huh?" Asked Cadence, looking curious.

"The salad in question came with daisies and lavender, which I can't really digest," said Danielle, smiling faintly. "Humans aren't really made to eat flowers like that."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," said Cadence, sounding curious. "I noticed yesterday but didn't ask but…you have fangs, right?"

Danielle looked confused before her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh, you mean my incisors? Humans just have two sharper teeth on our upper mouths that are there for eating meat."

"You're an omnivore?" Asked Cadence, sounding interested. "I've only ever seen you eat vegetarian, so I wondered…"

"I mostly eat whatever the locals of the area do," said Danielle, leaning back in her seat comfortably. "The griffins are mostly carnivores but they can eat plants as well so it was pretty common to eat the same as they were when I stayed with them before coming here to Ponyville. Honestly, I was getting a little tired of constant meat based dishes by the time I left, so coming to Equestria was fine by me after that."

"So…I take it you won't eat me, right?" Asked Cadence. Her tone was teasing, but there was a very small hint of nervousness in there as well.

Danielle looked appalled at the very idea. "I would never eat a pony, Cadence. Even among carnivores and other omnivores, I never eat anything that is sentient or can think for itself. The griffins mostly eat fish, and the other game animals there were not sentient."

Cadence felt the very minute amount of tension leave her and she nodded. Danielle noticed and she sighed. "Cadence, I get it, you know. Ponies are a prey based creature, while griffins, dragons and even humans are predator based. It's in a prey's nature to fear predators."

The mare blinked but shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that! It's just that…I've never really spent time with the non-pony races but the few I have seen with fangs, like Sombra, well…they were evil and…"

Danielle smiled and held out a hand to calm Cadence. "It's fine, really. I've just dealt with the whole prey and predator thing before and the very moment some ponies learn that I can eat meat, they instantly think I want to eat them. That's the farthest thing from the truth as I have no intention of ever doing that, especially since I've adopted several ponies in my long life and I was engaged to two Alicorns."

Cadence sighed and nodded with a smile, honestly relieved that she didn't ruin their date. Their orders arrived shortly after and they thanked the server before starting, silent for several minutes as they ate. The young princess feeling even more foolish than before when she saw how much Danielle was enjoying the stuffed pasta dish she had, clearly eating a vegetarian plate. "How is it?"

Danielle looked up from her plate and nodded, a contemplative look on her face. "Not bad. I don't want to speak ill of the restaurant but between us, the filling is a little bland as all they used was ricotta. I actually make a dish similar to this that I think is better, honestly."

"Oh?"

"I make stuffed shells that I've made both for myself and royalty once or twice and I've never gotten a complaint. Basically, it's standard large pasta shells filled a combination of ricotta, feta and mozzarella cheeses along with cooked spinach. Cover the shells with seasoned tomato sauce with more cheese on top and stick it in the oven. Once it comes out, it's to die for."

Cadence smiled at the description of the dish and the passionate way Danielle described it, wondering if the human would either make it for her, or teach her how to make it later. She herself wasn't a bad cook and this sounded both good and relatively easy to make as well.

As they ate, their talk turned to more idle topics. Cadence explained how she didn't know who her parents were and that Celestia was the only parent she had ever known. Danielle had paused at that, wondering something but she didn't say what, just in case.

Danielle talked a little about a couple of her old friends during her school days when she was a teenager, of what she could remember in any case. Even though to her it had been an extremely long time ago, she could still remember their faces like it had been the previous day.

"You miss them."

It was a statement, not a question and Danielle sighed, her head down as she nodded. "I don't really like how I left them, honestly. I mean, I pretty much told Hermione I was leaving and then let her tell the others. I didn't want some sappy good-bye where they all tried to talk me out of leaving my country of origin, but it was time for me to go. They wouldn't get it. Hermione did, but it was clear she didn't understand why I had leave alone."

Cadence's eyes softened as her smile turned more gentle and understanding. "Sounds like she might have liked you more than a friend."

"I couldn't have been with her," said Danielle, sighing as she twirled the last of her food with her fork, staring at it for a moment before she carefully ate it. "At that point, I was partially immortal while she wasn't. It wouldn't be fair for either of us to try anything like that when it couldn't work out long term."

Cadence gave her a look and Danielle only barely noticed. "I'm not even partially immortal."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I…" Danielle sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. "Cadence, I really do like you. I can't say I'm in love with you or anything, but I do like spending time with you."

Cadence's eyes softened again and she nodded, sighing herself. "Same, honestly. I didn't really expect anything from this date other than a fun and semi-romantic evening. You've been a proper lady and extremely sweet to me. I do feel something for you, but…"

Neither spoke for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. If nothing else, they would leave this experience as closer friends at least.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," said Cadence, getting Danielle's attention again. "Is it strange? You, being in a relationship, even engaged once, to a pony? I mean, you're human and, well…"

Danielle took in a breath and nodded, smiling at her understandingly. "I get it. Honestly, humans never really got the whole human/non-human relationship thing back in my time. Even then, it was almost strictly humans with humanoid beings." She was thinking of goblins and Veela now. "Back then, and please don't be offended by this but, ponies weren't sentient back then. They were little more than dumb minded beasts of burden that couldn't even talk."

The human stared at a nearby window for a moment, looking at the night sky outside. "When I woke up from my coma with Celestia and Luna, romance was the last thing on my mind. I was in a new time, a new world really, that could use my help and I did all that I could assist in anything I could. When I was satisfied with my life and ready to settle down with a partner, a girlfriend, it didn't take me long to realize that as the only human on the planet, I would have to be with another species. I couldn't exactly wait for who knows how many millennia for another human to suddenly appear out of nowhere. I had set up a life for myself so the idea of trying to go back via time travel was very…unappealing. The mirror portal to another universe was also out as it just didn't…seem right to be there. It was just something wrong that made me want to leave and my instincts are rarely wrong.

"Like I told you before, Luna and I just…clicked. We were the very thing we had been looking for in a partner, a girlfriend and possibly wife, that it seemed cruel to push her away for something as stupid as a species barrier. Yes, I'll admit that there was a time when I was still strictly a human-sexual, but after so long…I gave in and fell for a sentient magical talking pony. Plural if you want to include Celestia in that as well.

"It actually helped when I thought of it more as falling for an alien than an animal. Like Xenophilla or something. I can also be with them and they with me because of the whole immortality thing, making us perfect for each other."

Cadence's smile grew the more Danielle spoke and neither realized that they had no more food left on their plates, or that the server was holding himself back from approaching their table to clean up. _'She really doesn't let something as small as species get in the way of love, she's honestly perfect for my aunts.'_

"That's incredibly sweet, Danielle," said Cadence out loud, smiling happily and a bit teary eyed as she rested her head on her forelegs. Danielle was completely red but was smiling herself, like she needed to get everything off her chest and the mare in front of her was a great outlet.

Danielle sighed as she allowed her plates to be taken away. "Cadence, I have to ask, were you honestly expecting to fall for me on this date or were you solely just trying to get me with Luna and/or Celestia?"

Cadence's expression turned wistful for a moment before sighing. "I wanted to go on a date with a possible friend, Danielle."

While that didn't really answer the question, it also answered everything at the same time. Danielle sighed and took Cadence's hoof with her hand, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry."

The mare blinked away the dampness in her eyes and smiled sadly. "I want us to be friends for a long time, Danielle." She blushed slightly but continued. "Maybe friends with benefits at some point, but…"

Neither said anything but nothing more needed to be said. This date hadn't really been an evening to determine their compatibility for a relationship, it was to help the other heal from whatever issue was plaguing them.

As messed up as it was, Danielle did feel better and more prepared for her upcoming dates with Luna and Celestia. Cadence also got to enjoy herself in a semi-romantic environment and forget about her ex-husband for a while.

They had both needed this and their friendship was stronger now, but that was all it probably would be for the foreseeable future.

When the check came it didn't make Danielle blink at all as she paid it with no problem along with a generous tip. Leaving the dining establishment, Danielle checked the time and found that they still had another half hour before Rarity expected them back. They had spent more time eating than they had thought.

"You want ice cream?" Asked Danielle, looking at Cadence with a hopeful look.

Cadence looked at her and gestured to the snow around them. "It's just barely above freezing right now, Danielle, and it's getting colder."

"Hot chocolate?"

The Alicorn paused as she thought about it, before nodding and they headed toward the nearby cafe, not saying anything as they walked. To the both of them, it felt like they had just gone through an intense therapy session and a lot of things were raw and exposed between them, making them both feel vulnerable.

Cadence paid this time, much to Danielle's chagrin, and they both sipped the hot beverage as they walked to the human's house. When they were about a hundred yards from the front door, Danielle sipped her drink and sighed. "You know, I do care about you, Cadence."

"I do too."

"If there's anything I can do to help, with anything, just ask."

"…Thanks, Danielle."

Both smiled at each other, understanding just how their relationship had changed without saying anything to each other. They were friends, very close friends that might have benefits in the future, but at the moment they were content with what they had. Danielle vowed to get Cadence something nice for helping her out so much as the entire date just seemed like the Alicorn helping her through her problems. The Princess of Love would make a damned good psychologist.

Walking through the front door to Danielle's house, they saw the cute sight of Riley and Flurry curled into balls as they slept next to each other on the couch, Rarity relaxing in the human's favorite armchair. Seeing them, the fancy unicorn smiled at the two of them and got up from the chair. "Evening you two, enjoy yourselves while you were out? These two were perfect angels the entire night."

Danielle nodded with a sigh, feeling that things would get better now. "Yeah, I feel better after that. I hope that I can call upon your services again to foal sit, Rarity?"

"If they are well behaved like these two, then I would love to, darlings."

"I'll pay you in the morning when I feel more awake," said Danielle as Cadence gently picked Flurry up in her magic, being careful not to jostle her too much. "That's also not negotiable, I will pay you back for looking after my ward and daughter, Rarity."

The Element of Generosity sighed before nodding. "Very well, if you insist. I would do it for free but if you are being stubborn about it…"

They said good-bye to the fashionista and they separated to their own rooms, Danielle carefully laying Riley in her bed without waking her before moving into her own bed, ready to sleep.

Hopefully without some crazy unicorn waking her up early in the morning.

 **I HATE SHORT CHAPTERS! I know this doesn't feel like a short chapter to anyone but me, but there you go. I have no idea when I'm going to update again, but that's real life for you, isn't it?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, Golden Dragon Lord here and I'm not going to give some stupid excuse about why I haven't updated in ages. There's a little thing called 'real life' that had me by the crotch for the last few months. Got laid off from work, trying to find a new job, and has anyone heard about this little game called 'Skyrim'? Just got it and it's amazing! Honestly, you don't even realize that you've wasted your entire day fighting bandits, dragons, and Falmer until it's too late.**

 **I want to marry Serana, but noooooo, she's not a viable marriage partner. Come on Bethesda, you were cool back then, even if you're not now.**

 **Just got Fallout 4 and haven't played it much yet, but I'm sure I'm going to waste a lot more time playing that. Enjoy the chapter.**

Twilight had spent most of the morning taking notes on things she thought important to the memories she was watching. She did handle the paperwork she had to, but she had filled Spike in on things he had missed the previous night so they could go back in again. Blinking as she yawned, she figured she could invite a friend over so she could have more pony interaction.

"What's the date, Twilight?" Asked Spike, getting mentally prepared for anything.

Knowing what he meant, Twilight flipped to the right page. "July 31, 1991, also known as Danielle's eleventh birthday. Let's get started."

Once in the memory after the now familiar falling sensation, they were now back in the hut on the rock, taking place right after the last memory. Spike had heard about this hut on the rock from Twilight but actually seeing it himself was really disturbing.

BOOM!

Spike jumped at hearing the massive bang from the door while Twilight didn't react as violently, having heard it before. Everyone in the hut jumped at the sound, "Where's the cannon?" Dudley asked stupidly, as the older Dursleys entered the room.

Vernon was holding a long thin hollow piece of metal attached to a handle that if Twilight had to guess was a human weapon of some sort that had been in the box he had bought the previous day. "He's really intending on using violence to stop Danielle from getting this letter?" Asked Twilight out loud, wondering how desperate someone could be about something like this.

"Who's there?" Demanded Vernon, pointing his weapon on the door. "I'm warning you, I'm armed!"

There was utter silence for a brief moment before…SMASH! The door was thrown forward with such power that it crashed onto the floor, its hinges broken. The man on the other side of the door, who had to bend over to enter the hut, was the same giant that had dropped Danielle off at Private Drive in the first place, Hagrid if Twilight's memory proved true.

Hagrid, now fully in the hut, didn't look like he had aged a day in the last decade and gave an easy smile to the very tense and fearful Dursleys and Danielle. "Couldn't make a cup of tea, could yah? It's not been an easy journey."

Everyone stared at him as he bent down to pick up the door and fit it back into its frame easily.

Vernon apparently got some courage back from the initial fear of seeing this man. "I demand you leave at once, sir! You are breaking and entering!"

"He's kidding, right?" Asked Spike, sounding curious. "This guy is what? Ten feet tall?"

"About that," Twilight confirmed, wondering how anyone could be that stubborn.

Hagrid glanced at Vernon and the weapon in his hand before snorting, "Eh, dry up Durlsey, you great prune." He then easily ripped it out of the obese man's hand and bent it into a knot, throwing it into the corner of the room. All three Dursleys huddled into a far corner, Vernon making a strange whimpering sound. Hagrid then turned to Danielle, who looked nervous herself, but calmed very slightly when the giant man smiled at her. "And here's Danielle. Last I saw you, you were only a baby."

That got Danielle's attention as she looked at him curiously.

"Anyway, Danielle," Hagrid continued, "A very happy birthday to yeh. Got summit for yeh here…might have sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." He then pulled out a medium sized box from a pocket in his overcoat that was slightly squashed, but when opened, it showed a perfectly edible chocolate cake with _Happy Birthday Danielle_ written on it in icing.

The redhead blinked and looked back at Hagrid, clearly confused. Twilight couldn't blame her as the poor human girl had no clue what was going on. "Uh…Thank you? Who are you?"

Hagrid chuckled as he sat down on the couch, it sinking dangerously low under his weight. "True, haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of keys and grounds of Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and, after she had put the cake down, looked like he had shaken Danielle's whole arm.

"What about that tea, then?" Asked Hagrid as he turned to the fireplace. He snorted at the shriveled chip bags in the grate and pulled out a flowery pink umbrella, which somehow shot small and controlled bursts of fire from the tip, starting a warm and comforting fire in the hearth.

That only made Danielle's eyes widen even more at the clearly magical display in front of her. Swallowing, Danielle gave Hagrid an even look. "I'm sorry, but…I still don't know who you are."

Hagrid, who had brought out a pack of sausages and started cooking them over the fire, much to Twilight's discomfort and Spike's curiosity. Pulling out everything he needed to make tea, he proceeded to make that as well, making everyone wonder how large his overcoat really was. "Don't eat anything he gives you, Dudley," said Vernon and Hagrid snorted.

"You son doesn't need any more fattening up, Dursley, don' worry." He then turned to Danielle. "An like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts, you'll know all about Hogwarts o' course."

"Uh…no."

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry?"

" _Sorry?_ " Asked Hagrid in disbelief, turning back to the Dursleys, who shrank into the shadows. "It's _them_ who should be sorry. I knew you weren' getting yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, for cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"

"All what?"

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid demanded. "Now wait jus' one second!" He had leapt to his feet. In his anger, he seemed to fill the entire hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. As much as Twilight didn't like them, she couldn't deny that this was probably a bit over the top for them. "Do you mean to tell me," Hagrid growled, "That this girl, _this girl!_ Knows nothing about…About ANYTHING?"

Danielle cocked her head to the side, looking a bit insulted about that. "My grades aren't that bad."

Hagrid simply waved aside her words. "About _our world_ , I mean. _Your world_. _Yer parents world._ "

"What world?"

Hagrid looked ready to explode. "DURSLEY!"

Vernon muttered something that sounded a lot like "Mimblewimble."

"But yeh must know about yer parents, righ'? I mean, they're _famous_. You're _famous_."

That made both Twilight and Spike's eyes widen, not knowing that Danielle had been famous. Yes, that Minerva woman had said she would be, but they didn't think it would be as bad as Hagrid just implied.

Danielle blinked as she mouthed those words, frowning. "My parents were famous? For what? Why?"

"Yeh don' know…Yeh don' know…" He ran a massive hand through his messy hair, fixing Danielle with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh are?"

Vernon finally found his voice. "Stop! Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the girl anything!"

A braver person than Vernon would have quailed under the glare Hagrid gave him and when the giant man spoke, every syllable trembled with rage.

"You never told her? Never told her what was in the letter Dumbledore left for her? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from her all these years?"

"Kept _what_ from me?" Asked Danielle, curious.

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" Yelled Vernon in panic.

Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

"Drama queen," muttered Spike, rolling his eyes. Twilight struggled not to say anything.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. He turned back to the redhead. "Danielle…yer a witch."

That was rather…anti-climatic, Twilight thought as Danielle's expression turned from curious to contemplative. She seemed to be thinking hard. "I…have magic?"

"'Course," said Hagrid, nodding to her as that statement seemed to fill the entire hut. He sat back down on the couch again and it protested heavily under his weight. "Yer a witch. An a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit."

"Got that right," said Twilight, still curious about how powerful Danielle really does become. The human could take on Discord for crying out loud!

"An with a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?" Hagrid continued, making Danielle curious again. "An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh finally read yer letter."

He pulled out a yellowish envelope from his pocket and Danielle finally took it with a slightly trembling hand.

 **Miss Danielle Potter**

 **The Floor**

 **Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea**

Twilight's eyes twitched again, truly wondering if these letters changed addresses depending on the person or if these witches and wizards knew ahead of time. Still, she and Spike stood behind Danielle so they could read the letter inside.

 ** _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_**

 ** _Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_**

 ** _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_**

 ** _Dear Miss Potter,_**

 ** _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._**

 ** _Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,_**

 ** _Minerva McGongall, Deputy Headmistress_**

Danielle blinked as she took in the entire letter, frowning slightly as she looked back at Hagrid. "What does it mean that they await my owl?"

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force that could have knocked Celestia clear off her hooves. He reached into another pocket and pulled out an owl, a real live, rather ruffled, owl along with a long quill and a roll of parchment. He then scribbled a note that could just barely be read upside down.

 ** _Dear Professor Dumbledore, Given Danielle her letter. Taking her to buy her things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well. Hagrid._**

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm.

"I don't think Owliscious would appreciate you doing that with him, Twilight," said Spike.

"I think you're right about that, Spike," said Twilight, agreeing.

"Where was I?" Asked Hagrid, but Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.

"She's not going," he said.

Hagrid grunted. "I'd like terr see a great Muggle like you stop him."

"A what?" Asked Danielle, Twilight and Spike at the same time.

"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

For some reason, that term didn't sit well with Twilight. Muggle just sounded like a racial slur to her and she really hoped that Danielle didn't use it herself.

"We swore when we took her in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of her! Witch indeed!"

Danielle stared at them for a moment. "My parents had magic and you never told me?"

"Of course we didn't!" Shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Of course we knew! How could you not be the same, my dratted sister being what she was?"

Twilight and Spike growled, having seen what Lily Potter had done for her daughter had proved that she was ten times the mother Petunia could ever hope to be.

"Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that…that school…and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was…a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all the for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as…as…abnormal…and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"

Danielle's eyes widened, her skin turning white. Twilight was just as silent, staring at Petunia in shock that anyone could hate their own sister so much…though it seemed it was more out of jealousy than anything else. Spike had small amounts of flame coming out of his nostrils, looking ready to murder someone with his own claws.

The redhead in the room finally found her voice. "You told me they died in a car crash."

"CAR CRASH!" Roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Danielle Potter not knowin' her own story when every kid in our world knows her name!"

Danielle turned to Hagrid. "What happened? How did they die?"

"Please, don't make him tell her," Spike groaned, not wanting to relive it all again. Twilight was with him on that, not wanting to go through the flashbacks.

The anger faded from Hagrid's face, looking suddenly anxious. "I never expected this," he said in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Danielle, I don't know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh, but someone's gotta, yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

"So, this Dumbledore expected problems," commented Twilight, watching intently.

Hagrid threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. "Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh…mind, I can't tell yeh eveythin', it's a great mystery, parts of it…"

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds and began. "It begins, I suppose, with…with a person called…but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows…"

"Voldemort," shuddered both Twilight and Spike. True, Twilight had gone up against villains herself, but none of them had been psycho killers, as far as she knew anyway. Well…maybe Sombra…

Danielle moved closer to Hagrid slightly, trying to give a comforting smile. "Who?"

"Well…I don't like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Danielle, people are still scared. Blimey this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went…bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"

Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. "Could you write it down?" Danielle suggested.

"Nah, can't spell it. All right…Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this…this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em too…some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Danielle. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches…terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him, an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.

"Now yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the mystery is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before…probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em…maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an'…an'…"

Danielle, Twilight and Spike swallowed, the latter two silent in respect.

Hagrid pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said, "But it's that sad; knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find, anyway…

"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then, an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing, he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it.

"No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age; the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts, an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

Danielle blinked, looking at the floor in contemplation. Twilight couldn't blame her as it was a lot to take in at once. Still, something didn't seem right. When she and Spike had seen the attack, Voldemort had told Lily to step aside so he could kill Danielle. He was sparing her so he could kill the daughter so she was obviously his target from the very beginning.

Why though? Why spare Danielle's mother Lily but kill the infant? It didn't make any sense to the Alicorn Princess and she honestly couldn't think of anything with her prodigious brain power.

Hagrid looked at Danielle sadly. "Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…"

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon and Danielle started, probably forgetting that he was there she was so lost in thought. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid with his fists clenched. "Now, you listen here, girl," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured…and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion-"

"HOW DARE HE!" Roared Spike as Twilight made her own anger known, her horn flickering dangerously despite not being able to use it in a memory. Danielle's hands were clenched into fists as well at the sheer insensitivity her uncle was displaying.

"Asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types," Vernon continued, "just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end-"

Spike looked ready to commit murder and Twilight wasn't sure if she would stop him.

Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew his battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing it at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you Dursley, I'm warning you, one more word…"

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.

Danielle, meanwhile, looked curious about several more things. "But what happened to Vol-, sorry, I mean, You-Know-Who?" It was clear she disliked saying that and not Voldemort's name, but Hagrid really seemed to hate it, so she relented.

"Good question. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see…he was gettin' more an' more powerful..why'd he go? Some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."

The Alicorn watching the memory was thinking of an even more dangerous version of Sombra, who somehow turned into a wraith when he was killed the first time. Did Voldemort do the same thing? Must have.

"Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don't reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Danielle. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on, I dunno what it was, no one does, but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."

Hagrid looked at Danielle with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Danielle simply gave a weak smile in return, still lost in thought about things. She then frowned as she thought about things, Twilight assuming about magic in general.

Twilight had grown up with magic, always knowing she had it and simply needing to hone it before it became the powerful tool she used everyday. Danielle's childhood however was of her relatives dismissing the very idea of magic and strange things happening, like glass in front of a snake tank vanishing and reappearing.

"It's real, isn't it?" She asked, looking at Hagrid. "I really do have magic."

Hagrid smiled knowingly. "Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"

Danielle very slowly nodded and her smile grew slightly, becoming more genuine.

"See?" Said Hagrid. "Danielle Potter, not a witch? You wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Haven't I told you she's not going?" He hissed. "She's going to Stonewall High and she'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and she needs all sorts of rubbish, spell books and wands and-"

"If she wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop her," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Her name's been down ever since she was born. She's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and she won't know herself. She'll be with youngsters of her own sort, fer a change, an' she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled-"

"I'M NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HER MAGIC TRICKS!" Yelled Uncle Vernon.

Both Twilight and Spike looked eagerly at Hagrid to see what he would do now.

Hagrid did not disappoint as he seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "-INSULT, ALBUS, DUMBLEDORE, IN, FRONT, OF, ME!"

He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley; there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, they were able to see a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.

There was a pause before Spike burst out laughing, rolling on the floor, tears streaming down his face laughing. Twilight put a hoof over her mouth, desperately struggling hard not to laugh at the fat boy's misfortune. Transfiguration spells like that were only temporary so he would back to normal eventually, which was the only reason Twilight found it funny in the first place.

Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

That only made Spike laugh harder, Twilight finally surrounding herself to her own laughter as well.

Hagrid cast a sideways look at Danielle under his bushy eyebrows.

"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that to anyone at Hogwarts. I'm…er, not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff, one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."

Danielle was smiling in delight and nodded. "I won't. But why aren't you supposed to do magic?"

"Oh, well…I was at Hogwarts meself but I, er, got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Okay, but…why were you expelled?" Asked Danielle, curiously.

"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Danielle. "You can kip under that. Don' mind if it wriggles a bit. I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."

Both Twilight and Spike looked at each other before they were ejected from the memory.

XXXXXX

With a strangled gasp, a little green unicorn filly woke suddenly, her body covered in sweat, her heart racing like she had run a marathon. Licking her dry lips, her eyes gazed around the room, desperately looking for familiar things around her to ground her to reality.

Riley let out a soft whimper when she saw she was not in the bedroom she had had for years, but the one in Ponyville she was currently living in with her new guardian. Her mood plummeting, she slowly hugged herself with her forelegs, wanting her mom. She always comforted her when she had a bad dream, loving her soft smile and warm eyes.

Unable to take being in her own room on her own, Riley slowly got out of bed and opened the door to her room, looking out at the hallway. It was completely dark, definitely past midnight and everyone was asleep. Her first immediate thought of wanting comfort made her start for Cadence's room, but she paused before even taking a step toward the princess's room. Biting her lip, she truly thought about it.

Cadence had an extremely warm and motherly feel to her, but…she wasn't the one that Riley was starting to feel the most comfortable around. Her first thought toward comfort before had always been a warm and caring mare, but…she found her head turning toward Danielle's room instead.

Danielle hadn't needed to, but she had put a roof over her head and fed her, giving her comfort and advice when asked but allowing her space if she needed it. She didn't know when it had happened in the past week, but the filly's idea of comfort was turning into a human shaped one.

Swallowing, still scared of her dream, Riley slowly pushed Danielle's door open and looked around. The room was extremely similar to her own, just a little bigger with a bed to match, a desk and a door that led to a private bathroom. Danielle herself was sleeping peacefully on the bed, wearing clothes that looked far more comfortable to sleep in than her usual attire.

Cautiously, Riley approached the bed and jumped onto it, feeling slightly better than before now that her new guardian was in sight. She had seen most of the battle against Discord and combine that with how protective Danielle was of her and Riley didn't see why she had much to fear if the human was around her.

Taking a shuddering breath, Riley tried to relax next to Danielle as she curled up against her, trying to find the redhead's body heat to help calm herself down.

With a sleepy mumble, Danielle slowly opened her eyes and blearily made out green fur that her tired mind identified with Riley.

"Riley? Wha-?"

"Bad dream," whispered Riley, her tone pleading as she curled into Danielle's side, desperately wanting to stay.

Danielle sleepily nodded and moved her arm to hold Riley closer to her, much to the filly's secret delight. A few seconds later, Danielle was asleep again and the filly next to her smiled slightly as she tried to bury her head into the human's side, being mindful of her horn as she did so.

Riley was just barely able to hear Danielle's heartbeat but it was a steady sound that eventually lulled her to sleep, finally feeling warm and protected.

XXXXXX

Danielle did have to admit, waking up to find Riley snuggling into her side was much more welcome than Lyra watching her sleep. Taking stock of herself, Danielle found herself and her adopted daughter alone in the room with no stalker unicorns, but with a strong urge to use the bathroom. Sighing, she slowly tried to move but Riley made a disapproving noise every time she tried, making Danielle smile at the sheer cuteness.

She finally shook her head. "Riley…Riley…"

Groaning, Riley slowly opened her own eyes and, realizing where she was, groaned even harder as she tried to bury her head into the pillow. "I'm sorry…"

Danielle chuckled. "Riley, you don't have to apologize for coming in here."

"I shouldn't have to…"

"We all get scared, Riley, and it's natural to go to someone you trust to help comfort you. Though the fact that you came to me…" She gave Riley a curious but proud look, touched that Riley thought that about her already.

Riley smiled slightly but looked anywhere other than at the human, unsure what to feel at the moment. Danielle eventually chuckled again and patted the filly on the head, making her pout at her, before she went into the bathroom.

When she came out, Riley was gone, but Danielle wasn't worried, knowing that the young filly needed time to sort out her feelings. Danielle truly was not trying to replace Riley's late mother, just trying to be the best parent she could be and impressing on her that she would always be there for her.

She still did not know anything about Riley's parents or her past, but she wasn't going to go digging for it. Riley would tell her when she was ready and she was fine with that.

Putting on a robe, she had to thank Rarity for adding one to her wardrobe, she headed downstairs to start on breakfast. As she got everything out, she wondered if she should do something with either Riley or both her and Flurry, making a big morning or afternoon out of it. She still had not met with most of the town and the snow wasn't that bad this morning so she might as well do that with at least one filly with her.

The scent of food was enough to bring the other three in the house down to the kitchen and breakfast was a success with no problems. "So," said Cadence as magic cleaned the dirty plates and dishes, "When is your date with Luna tonight?"

Danielle smiled as Cadence moved closer to her, their friendship much stronger this morning than it had been twenty-four hours ago. "Knowing Luna, it'll probably be around seven or so and continue to around nine. That's about the time our first date lasted so she'll be here around then."

Flurry smiled at the idea of seeing 'Aunt Luna' again while Riley's happy expression became a little more forced. True, she seemed more accepting of Luna than Cadence for some reason, but this date meant another evening without Danielle around.

Danielle noticed and she leaned back into her chair. "I was thinking of exploring the town a bit this morning. If a certain filly or fillies would like to come with me…well, I wouldn't complain…"

Hearing that, Riley weighed her options at the not so subtle hint and it didn't take her long to know that she wanted to come with, honestly curious about the town herself as she had seen as much as Danielle had.

About an hour later had Danielle and Riley, both with warming charms active, walking around Ponyville. Cadence and Flurry had decided to do their own mother/daughter bonding time at this time as well and were doing their own thing, leaving Danielle and Riley walking alone together.

Danielle had to admire Ponyville during winter as the snow really looked nice on the various houses and businesses. Their first stop was Rarity's where the human paid the fancy unicorn for looking after the fillies the previous night. Rarity again tried to deny payment but Danielle was resolute so the fashionista relented and accepted the bits, both laughing about it as they left.

She really did see Rarity as a friend and she wanted it to last, just like her friendship with Cadence. She wasn't attracted to Rarity, but their personalities were fairly compatible for a platonic relationship.

As they walked, Danielle smiled and nodded to several locals, only a few willing to meet her eyes. Sighing, she had her hands in her pockets as they continued, knowing that ponies of Equestria never really changed.

"Why do other ponies walk around you?" Asked Riley, wearing her own sweater that helped the warming charm do its job. "I trust you, miss Danielle."

"Thank you for that," said Danielle, grateful. "Don't blame them, Riley, just know that some ponies don't like strange species they don't know anything about. I've heard of ponies not liking zebras, griffins, deer, even Kirin before they get to know them."

"Kirin?"

Danielle smiled. "Haven't seen any in centuries. Native to China, India and Japan, the Kirin have the bodies of ponies, a strange sort of pronged horn they can use magic through, scales as well as fur, lions manes and cloven hooves. They have the power to walk on water and even though they are extremely peaceful pacifists when calm, when they are angry they turn black and can shoot fire. I honestly don't know why they've gone into hiding but I hope I can meet another one eventually."

Riley looked fascinated but before she could say anything, she looked around and saw they were surrounded by apple trees. None of them had any fruit on them as it was winter, but it looked like they had found themselves in Ponyville's famous Apple family farm. "An apple farm?"

"Ponyville is famous for its apple farm," said Danielle, nodding as she looked around. "If I remember the local history correctly, the town was made around the farm."

"Looks like you know yer local history correctly," said a voice ahead of them. The voice was revealed to be a blonde earth pony with an orange coat wearing a stetson and sweater. She eyed Danielle for a moment before smiling slightly. "Names Applejack and this here's the Apple family farm all right. Now then, what can I do for yeh?"

Danielle smiled at the southern accent. "Just passing through, learning more about the town and so on, you know. Besides, can't come to Ponyville without visiting the Apple farm at least once."

Applejack smiled knowingly at her before nodding. "Got that right. Can't really sell anything at the moment, being the dead of winter and all, and a tour won't be much good until the snow is melted, but welcome to yeh anyway."

"A town was built around an apple farm?" Asked Riley, cocking her head to the side in confusion, not hearing that story.

"Darn tootin'," said Applejack proudly, puffing up her chest slightly. "Started by my great-granddaddy by asking Princess Celestia for land and she gave us what we needed. Town built itself around us and wouldn't be the same without us. My granny can tell the story better than I can, but I do all right for myself."

"Yeah, there wasn't a town here the last time I was in Equestria," said Danielle, nodding as she looked around again. "Not surprising, but there you go." It also explained why an earth pony was the mayor as the role usually went to pegasi and unicorns in other towns. "So…"

"I know what you all are gonna say," said Applejack as Danielle rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "I'm gonna go back to the house since my mornin' rounds are done. Feel free to come with if you want."

Sensing that Applejack wanted to say more somewhere warmer, Danielle nodded as she and Riley headed for the farm house. As they walked down the path to the front gates of the farm, Danielle had a question. "Isn't it dangerous for the farm to be so close to the Everfree Forest? I would think that Timberwolves would show up every now and then."

"Oh, they do," said Applejack, a bit annoyed about it. "Only show up every now and then but we can handle it whenever they do. Bats also show up once a year or so too."

Both Danielle and Riley nodded as they approached the farm house, looking extremely sturdy and comfortable. Applejack looked back at them. "I got hot cider if you want."

"That'd be great, thanks," said Danielle as Riley rushed into the house, eager to get out of the cold snow. Danielle chuckled as she followed, bending down slightly to walk through the doorway as she did so.

As Applejack got things ready for the hot cider, she turned back to Ponyville's resident human. "Yeh know, Fluttershy told me about your visit to her cottage. Also got a visit from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie about ya'll."

Danielle smiled slightly. "You don't say."

Applejack didn't say anything for a moment and Riley got bored, looking around and examining everything in the kitchen. "Look, I get you probably have some sort of…vendetta against Discord or somethin'. But destroying part of our town to get at 'em-"

"Won't happen again, I assure you," said Danielle, holding out a hand in apology. She sighed, "The only excuse I can give is that I hate him and he personally hurt me a lot back in the day. I wasn't thinking clearly and I'll probably apologize to him sooner or later."

Applejack narrowed her eyes for a moment, trying to detect any falsehoods in her words and came back satisfied. "Good to know. Now, I can officially welcome yeh to Ponyville." The cider was done shortly after that and the earth pony managed to serve Danielle and Riley a mug each, both of them nodding in thanks. "So, you ever work on an apple farm?"

Danielle chuckled as she joined Applejack at the well worn kitchen table, appreciating the hard working and honest atmosphere. This was clearly a family and farm that had earned every bit they had ever made and she had to respect that. "Making my way around the world a few times, I volunteered at a farm or two. It's…not something I want to do for the rest of my life, but I know what I'm doing."

The blonde earth pony nodded with a smile and sipped her drink. "Good to know in case I need yeh during Applebucking season. Far as I'm concerned, you do well at yer job and help when needed, we'll get along fine."

Danielle held out her mug at that and Applejack looked amused as she lifted her own, both clinking the mugs before setting them down again, much more relaxed than they had been a moment before.

Danielle and Riley spent another hour at the farm, learning more about Ponyville in general and the Apple family's involvement in its history. While Sweet Apple Acres was the most famous farm in the area, there were apparently a couple of other farms as well selling various produce that the Apples didn't have the time or resources to grow themselves. One such farm was run by a mare named Golden Harvest, though she was sometimes known as Carrot Top, and grew a vast majority of Ponyville's vegetables, most notably carrots. There had been a pear farm at one point, but the rivalry between them and the Apples had gotten a bit too extreme and the other farm had left town.

Applejack didn't seem to want to talk about the Pear family any more than that.

Talking to the farm pony, Danielle was starting to suspect that this was either the Element of Honesty or Loyalty as while it was clear she was loyal to friends and family, she was also blunt and to the point, valuing hard and honest work. A true Hufflepuff in the best of ways.

They also learned that Applejack's sister Apple Bloom was running around either the barn or her clubhouse with her friends. Her brother Big Macintosh was laid up in bed with a sprained leg, though Applejack did say they didn't need Danielle to heal him instantly and to let nature heal him at his own pace. Finally, her grandmother Granny Smith was probably still sleeping and wasn't expected to wake up for another half hour or so.

Applejack said absolutely nothing about her parents and Danielle had far too much tact to ask, figuring it was probably a touchy subject for the mare.

When they finally left the farm house, Danielle was much more relaxed than when she went in and by the look on her face, Riley was too. Still, it was also clear that the filly had wanted to leave earlier from boredom so Danielle didn't argue too much to be on the road again.

"Come back at some point, yeh hear?" Said Applejack, giving Danielle a look.

Danielle smiled. "I don't have a lot of fresh produce in the house so the moment you're selling again, let me know. I need to stock up."

That caused the hard working earth pony to chuckle with a nod. "Will do. I think we'll get along fine."

"Yo, AJ!" Yelled a voice above them and the three of them looked up to see that rainbow mare from the other day. She was on a cloud, wearing her own winter gear, and looked troubled and annoyed at the same time. "We got a problem!"

"What's the problem, Rainbow?" Asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as she focused on something to the farm's right. "Looks like we got another fight! Something is going on."

She prepared her wings to fly as fast as she could when Danielle joined her in the air, flying without the need for wings. "Lead the way. Riley, stay here until I get back." Not seeing if the filly obeyed her or not, Danielle was glad that Rainbow wasn't complaining about the back-up as they both flew, the mare leading the way.

Crashing through the trees in the direction Rainbow had been facing, they both landed hard on a dirt road next to an overturned cart. Taking in the situation quickly, Danielle saw that four ponies, a unicorn and three pegasi, were struggling against their captors. What she was surprised by though was that the aggressors were Diamond Dogs, humanoid canines that while not smart by any means, were usually just as physically strong if not stronger than earth ponies. Not to mention that they were usually taller as well so their bulk made them scarier than ponies in general.

"Ponies good for mistress," said one of the dogs as he grabbed a pegasus colt, who couldn't be any older than five years old.

"Come with us quietly, or this turn ugly," said another dog, holding a pegasus mare in such a way that her wings and forelegs were useless.

Rainbow snarled and launched herself at the dog holding the colt and Danielle was impressed by the speed, clearly much faster than the human had anticipated. Danielle gave a grim smile and moved faster than the pony or dog's eyes could follow, sending the dog holding the mare flying with a powerful uppercut. Now free, the mare quickly hid with who was presumably her now free son as Danielle used magic to force the dog away from the unicorn stallion, probably the father, and smashed the dog into a nearby tree.

Rainbow had got some fun as well as she had used her speed to fiercely kick the dog holding the colt in the gut, making the dog gasp for breath as all the air was knocked out of his lungs, also making him drop the colt in the process. Another quick smack to the head from her left wing had knocked the dog onto his back while a quick stomp with her hoof broke the dog's nose.

Danielle frowned as they were one pony short when she realized that a fourth dog was running away from them. Growling, she held out her hand and pulled, forcing both dog and the filly he had been carrying back toward her. Walking slowly, Danielle held out one hand and the pegasus filly was dropped onto the ground, where she hurried back to her parents and brother, while Danielle's other hand balled into a fist. The dog suddenly felt himself unable to breathe as it felt like his windpipe was closing painfully, writhing on his back as he struggled to draw breath.

Danielle leaned down onto one knee and stared at him, eyes narrowing as she slowly eased his suffocating, but not removing it completely. "I'm only going to ask this once," said Danielle, deadly serious as she gave him a death glare. "Why are you kidnapping ponies and who is your 'mistress?'"

The Diamond Dog, an average sized mastiff, whimpered like a puppy at her expression, but violently shook his head. "Dangerous! The mistress will kill all in her wrath! Needs pony slaves, but not…" The dog's voice trailed off as he started foaming at the mouth, making Danielle's eyebrow raise, not doing that.

Doing a quick charm, she realized that something had activated and like a remote kill switch, the dog was fading quickly. Working fast, she started using healing magic to counteract whatever poison was in the dog's system when it only seemed to make the situation worse, as the dog was gone no more a mere second later.

Sighing, Danielle stood up and looked over at Rainbow, who looked unnerved but grateful as she examined the family. "Everything okay here?" Asked Danielle to the general agreement of the ponies around her. She looked at the unicorn stallion, who looked to be the father of this family, "Any ideas of what they were after?"

He shook his head. "No. We were just coming to Ponyville to visit some family members when we were ambushed. Didn't seem interested in taking anything but us, though."

The pegasus mother shook her head too, looking much more panicked than she sounded for her children's sake. "They…just attacked us, trying to take us somewhere. If you two hadn't shown up…"

Danielle held out her hand comfortingly as her tone turned more soothing. "It's alright. Everything will be okay and we'll take you into town." She looked at Rainbow and the mare nodded with no problem. "I'm Danielle and was just hired to protect this town. Come on, I know that Sugarcube Corner would be more than happy to have a few new customers."

The family of four nodded, still slightly scared but trying to move on, as Danielle fixed their cart with no problem and levitated the family's belongings back into it. Rainbow did a good job at keeping the filly and colt calm as she talked flying techniques with them, giving them pointers about how to get the best lift and how to brake and turn sharply. The mother gave Danielle a sad smile while the stallion just looked relieved that they were almost to their destination.

When they were out of earshot of the two children, the mare gave Danielle a look. "Thank you." Danielle turned to look at her and smiled herself but the mare continued. "The name is Mary Wing, and please, tell me, did you really…" She trailed off but the look on her face told Danielle exactly what the question was.

The stallion nodded, looking grateful but cautious now. "We don't blame you if you did, but…"

Danielle sighed and shook her head. "I didn't kill that dog if you really wanted to know," she said quietly so only the two adults could hear. "I questioned him but some spell activated that killed him before he could tell me too much. I couldn't save him in time."

The stallion nodded. "Can't say I'll miss him…but still…"

"We're just thankful you two came when you did," said Mary Wing, looking sad, but grateful.

Danielle nodded with a weak smile as they turned a corner and Ponyville came into view. "It was a pleasure meeting you two, but I'm afraid that I will have to round up my adopted daughter now. Rainbow, you okay?"

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Of course. It'll take more than that to do anything to me!" She puffed out her chest as she hovered in the air, looking smug with herself.

With another nod from the rest of the family, Danielle waved them off as she flew off, shocking the family as she did so as they were too preoccupied during the attack to notice how she had arrived.

Landing at Sweet Apple Acres, Danielle didn't have to look far before Riley came trotting up to her, looking relieved. Applejack smiled and shook her head at the sight of her. "Everythin' okay?"

"It is now," said Danielle, nodding as Riley gave her a hug, which she returned with no problem. "But can you tell me why Diamond Dogs would attack a family of ponies?"

"Diamond Dogs?" Asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Shoot, they cause trouble every few years, but nothin' like this."

Danielle shook her head, completely mystified as most dogs don't just outright attack families of ponies. Yes, dogs have kidnapped ponies in the past to work their mines, but most were so mentally slow that any pony captured by them could figure out a way out with little to no problem. Even then, they only captured one, maybe two at a time, not a whole family of four.

Coming out of her thoughts, she noticed that at the mention of Diamond Dogs, Riley started to shake slightly, a flash of fear in her eyes. Danielle quickly picked up Riley and held her in her arms, making the filly calm down slowly.

"Thanks for the company, Applejack," said Danielle, nodding to the cowgirl pony with a smile, "but I think we should get back home."

Applejack nodded in understanding. "Sounds like a good idea. Feel free to come back any time you want."

After another nod to each other, Danielle headed back up the path toward Ponyville proper, Riley still in her arms as the filly calmed down. Once she was sure she was out of earshot of anyone else, she looked down at Riley.

"Are you okay?"

Riley took in a deep and shuddering breath but nodded, jumping down onto the snow covered ground herself. "Y, yeah, I'll be fine."

The filly could almost feel the sympathetic and worried expression Danielle was giving her. "Okay…" said Danielle, slowly. "Just know, that I'll listen to anything you want to say, all right?"

Riley nodded again, but made no motion to talk so Danielle let the matter drop for the moment, not wanting to pressure the poor girl. They had just crossed the line into Ponyville proper when Rainbow dropped down next to them.

"Hey, that was cool of you back there," said Rainbow, looking grateful. "You really have some moves! And I didn't know you could move _that_ fast!"

Danielle nodded, grateful herself that she didn't have to take on all of those dogs herself. "Thanks, I worked hard to get my speed up to the level it is. You can really move yourself."

"Fastest flyer in Ponyville," said Rainbow, smirking as she hovered in the air again, following them as they walked through town. "Gotta keep myself light and speedy, am I right?"

Nodding, Danielle continued in a tone that Riley wouldn't easily be able to hear. "Thanks for entertaining the filly and colt while I talked to the parents."

Rainbow grew slightly more serious and nodded. "No problem, just thankful for the help. I could have done it myself, of course, but you helping saved me from doing everything."

Danielle snorted but smiled as they approached her front door. "See you around?"

"Hah, you know it!" Rainbow smirked as she got ready to fly. "We have to have a race some time. I'm not giving up my title of fastest flyer."

"Looking forward to it," said Danielle, nodding as Rainbow took off, leaving a rainbow trail behind her as she flew.

XXXXXX

The next few hours were a whirlwind of various meetings for Danielle, but she saw it as a necessary evil.

After making sure that Riley was safe inside the house with new and improved wards protecting everyone inside, Danielle had headed for the mayor's office to report the attack. While slightly disturbed that whoever was kidnapping/killing ponies was doing it for a 'mistress' and they were powerful enough to have an instant kill switch on their minions, she was grateful to Danielle for saving an innocent family with Rainbow's help. Neither had any lead on who this 'mistress' could be, though, so the only thing they could do was continue to protect the town and hope they could get more information later.

Danielle still had a few hours until Luna showed up and she needed some down time. Currently relaxing on her bed, she shrugged and pulled out her backpack and started digging through it, looking for something. A moment later, she pulled out a laptop and it powered on with no problem, looking through the files.

The laptop had been a gift given to her a few hundred years ago and had every bit of recorded human information on it ever. The very culmination of the human civilization was on her lap and the first thing she did with it was struggle not to pull up a funny cat video on it right away.

Instead she switched over to music and, pursing her lips in thought as she contemplated her choices, she shrugged and chose an old classic; Bohemian Rhapsody. Hitting the play button, the Queen classic started playing and she smiled, getting into the slow start before it built up to the later parts. While she liked the music, she didn't care too much for the lyrics beyond how catchy they were, not wanting to think of the actually dark story being sung about.

Wanting something happier after the song ended, she switched to a different genre and let the music come to her, enjoying the down time.

The music being played did not go unnoticed by the house and while Cadence was curious, she shrugged it off and went back to the letters she was writing. Flurry and Riley, however, were curious enough to investigate and check the human's room.

When they both looked through the doorway, they were surprised to see Danielle, eyes closed, and nodding her head to the music with a smile on her face.

 **Well that's just fine.**

 **Say it once, say it twice**

 **Take a chance and roll the dice**

 **Rise with the moon in the dead of night**

 **Everybody scream, everybody scream!**

 **In this town of Halloween…**

Danielle chuckled as she never grew tired of this song. Opening her eyes to see both fillies curious about the music, she smiled and gestured them in as they enjoyed the music. When it was over, Danielle nodded. "I love that song. Halloween was what Nightmare Night used to be called and this song is iconic."

"What is this?" Asked Flurry as she examined the computer on the bed.

Danielle smiled. "This is called a laptop, a sort of computer that was created by humans back in my time. This one…well, I met someone a long time ago that still had one and she gave it to me." She hadn't known that person for long, only about twenty minutes, but she had definitely left an impression. "It essentially has the entirety of everything humans had ever created on it, including music and songs."

Both fillies looked impressed. "Can you play another song?" Asked Flurry, looking curious.

Danielle nodded and thought about which one before coming up with one that both fillies might like. "Okay…let's see if you like some Disney…" It was a safe bet that young ones would enjoy something from the famous mouse. "Ah, here we go…"

When the music started, both fillies were both already hooked, liking the melody.

 **I know you,**

 **I walked with you once upon a dream**

 **I know you,**

 **The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.**

 **Yet I know It's true**

 **That visions are seldom all they seem**

 **But, if know you**

 **I know what you'll do**

 **You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream.**

While both fillies clearly enjoyed the song, it was Flurry who seemed entranced by it, eyes gleaming as she almost devoured the music. When it was over, the young Alicorn looked at Danielle with an eager expression. "Another?"

Raising an eyebrow, Danielle shrugged and started one of her favorites from an underrated Disney classic.

 **Treguna Mekoides Tracorum Satis Dee**

 **Substitutiary locomotion**

 **Mystic power that's far beyond the wildest notion**

 **It's so weird, so feared, yet wonderful to see**

 **Substitutiary locomotion come to me**

Despite the odd magic words, it was such a catchy tune that all three got lost in the song, Flurry looking hooked on Disney the longer the song went.

For the next hour, the three of them did nothing but listen to Disney songs of all genres from multiple decades of films. Flurry especially loved Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious while Riley seemed more partial to A Whole New World.

"So, I take it you like music, Flurry?" Asked Danielle, wanting to get to know her more.

Flurry nodded. "I love it. I also love the various random musical numbers every now and then."

Riley cocked her head to the side. "What?"

Both turned to Riley and Danielle smiled. "This is something that I've actually done some studying in. You see, Riley, without meaning to, unicorns and Alicorns naturally give off magic even when they don't mean to. When enough magic in the area is gathered and the timing is just right, the excess magic turns into a random musical number. Don't question it too much as I'm still not sure how the magic involved makes it so that random ponies know the lyrics or dance steps to make the musical number work. It just does. Since Ponyville has quite a few unicorns, don't be surprised if you randomly break into song and dance, okay?"

"I guess," said Riley, shrugging.

"It's awesome!" Said Flurry happily.

"Because not everyone is okay about the musical numbers, it's a sort of an unspoken rule that anything anyone sings about isn't used against them," said Danielle. "Don't worry about accidentally singing your darkest secrets."

Both fillies nodded but Flurry looked at Riley curiously. "Didn't you break into song and dance before you came to Ponyville?"

Riley tensed, not looking at either Flurry or Danielle as she swallowed, clearly not wanting to answer that. Danielle was curious about Riley's past as she didn't even know where she used to live before Ponyville, but she was not going to pry into her ward's secrets.

Deciding to save Riley, Danielle stood up with a stretch. "Okay you two, I need to get ready for my date tonight. I think I have about an hour so I'm afraid I'm throwing you out of my room."

Both fillies nodded without issue and left, Flurry looking eager to tell her mother about the songs she had listened to. Danielle smiled, sure that she had invoked a love of music into both of them.

As she got dressed, having a strong idea of what Luna had planned, Danielle smiled to herself. She had a date with Luna! After so long, so many centuries of being apart, Danielle was finally going to be alone with her first real girlfriend again.

Closing her eyes with a contented smile on her face, Danielle had to resist the urge to squee like a little girl. Forcibly reigning herself back, she had to remind herself that she was an adult and she was going on a date with a princess, which required a mature outlook

Choosing her clothes and examining herself in the mirror, she nodded to herself. If she knew Luna at all, this date was going to be just the two of them in a very informal setting so there was no need to wear anything fancy. Dressed in comfortable jeans and a blouse with a hoodie, she looked more like she was going on a casual night with friends and not on an actual date.

It was perfect.

Sure enough, almost the instant the clock turned seven at night there was a knock on the door and Danielle smiled, holding herself back from rushing toward it. Opening it revealed the mare she knew would be there.

Luna looked as graceful and beautiful as ever, wearing her standard outfit with her coat, mane and tail gleaming in the moonlight. It was a clear night (Danielle knew who had done that, Luna) and the moon was particularly large, bathing everything in it's soft light, which only highlighted Luna's features more.

While the lunar princess looked as impeccable as ever, her eyes showed both nervousness and joy at standing on Danielle's doorstep. "Danielle."

The human smiled and they embraced, lingering just long enough for Luna to put her scent on Danielle's hoodie and the redhead didn't mind at all. "Just like old times, Lulu." She turned back into the house and nodded to Riley and Cadence, who had just appeared behind her. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Riley, be good for Cadence, okay?"

Riley nodded and smiled more than she had the previous night when her guardian had left with Cadence. The Princess of Love nodded encouragingly and Danielle smiled back, feeling better about leaving Riley in the house with Cadence watching her. She trusted Rarity with the girls too but Cadence had more magical power than the fashionista in case a threat managed to get through the wards on the house.

For her part, Luna did her best not to glare at the pink princess. She promised she would be nicer to her, not perform a miracle. She had spent the last several years not liking Cadence and it was not going to vanish overnight.

Luna smiled as much as she could, which was easier than usual with Danielle next to her, and gestured to the front yard. "If you could accompany me, Dani?"

Danielle's eyes gleamed and she nodded, giving Riley one last reassuring look before she closed the door. "So, what do you have planned Lulu?"

"I have something planned," said Luna cryptically, smiling as she extended her wings. Pushing herself into the air, she beat her powerful wings hard enough to hover over the house, waiting for her date. Danielle joined and floated next to her a mere instant later. "Follow me."

They both smiled as they flew, Luna leading the way as they soared over Ponyville. Nothing needed to be said as they enjoyed the cool but beautiful night, the wind whipping through their hair and Luna's tail.

As they flew, Danielle and Luna kept 'accidentally' brushing against each other. It became a game as they continued to their destination, wondering which one would break first and mention what they were doing. Even after so long, they were still comfortable around each other enough to not blush at everything the other did.

When they landed, Danielle smiled at being right about her guess about what Luna had planned. About half way between Ponyville and Canterlot, Luna had found a small hill and placed a warming spell around it, keeping an evening picnic from getting cold. Touching down gently on the soft blanket, Danielle saw quite a few sandwiches, fruits, chocolate and both apple cider and wine spread out for them.

Danielle smiled knowingly at Luna, who looked proud of herself. "An evening picnic under the stars? I see you remember our first date."

Luna smiled proudly and sat down with grace, tail wrapped around herself as she grew comfortable. "I would never forget our first date, Dani. It was one of several memories that helped me a…while ago…" She trailed off but there was no doubt what she had been referring to and Danielle's smile turned sad and understanding.

Sitting down herself, Danielle helped herself to a sandwich and sighed happily as she looked at the stars. "You know I can be a romantic at times, Lulu. Are you sure you aren't one either?"

The mare shifted so they were touching, using her magic to levitate an apple toward her for a bite. "Every now and then, I believe I am." She hummed happily as she rested against Danielle for a moment. "Did you ever…did you ever think of me? For the millennia we were…separated?"

Danielle paused as she sighed, humming herself for a moment. "All the time, Lulu, all the time. Every time I saw a happy couple, every time I was more lonely in my bed than usual, I missed you." She let out a breath slowly, looking distant for a moment. "Every time I heard one of our favorite songs, I couldn't help but think of you. It killed me when you…left, but I couldn't get you out of my head forever."

Luna sighed herself, leaning against her as she placed her head on Danielle's arm. "I do not remember the entire time I was on the moon, I was asleep for most of it. When I was awake, though, the darkness around me forced me back and forth between conquering Equestria and missing you, terribly. It was the memories of you and Tia that kept me sane, I think, and why I was so angry at Tia for you being gone."

Danielle smiled sadly and moved her hand through Luna's mane like she used to, just the way the lunar princess liked it. It wasn't long before Luna was almost purring, leaning into the hand running through the lush midnight blue hair. "I'm back, Luna. I'm not going anywhere again. I'm staying in Equestria this time."

"You do not know how relieved I am at hearing that," said Luna, mentally demanding that Danielle move her fingers faster.

They ate in silence for several more long minutes, simply enjoying the presence of the other. Luna smiled as she finished a chocolate dipped strawberry. "Have you been keeping yourself informed about what has happened in Equestria?"

"A bit here and there," Danielle admitted, taking a sip of wine. It wasn't strong and alcohol didn't affect her as much as it used to anymore. "I wasn't able to keep track of everything, just when something big happened."

Luna smiled and started recounting various things that had happened in Equestria since she had come back. She mentioned several Grand Galloping Galas, Hearth's Warmings, Nightmare Nights, the return of Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra and Tirek.

Danielle listened with a mixture of different emotions and finally shook her head. "So many things happened in the last few years alone. I'm actually glad I'm back in the country to help as it sounds like you need it."

"With you back, I am sure we will be just fine."

Danielle leaned back so she was staring up at the stars, Luna following her example. The redhead finally frowned, thinking. "Luna…why would Chrissy attack Canterlot? I mean, the Changelings aren't that bad, right?"

Luna sighed as she stared up at the stars as well. "Queen Chrysalis prevented me from helping during Cadenza's wedding but I heard that she needed food for her subjects. As much as I do not like her, I cannot deny that she had a good reason for her attack."

"But…" Danielle frowned some more. She remembered Chrysalis and things didn't add up. "I knew Chrissy. We both did. She was so…optimistic, free spirited…what changed? She was my friend and now…"

"I wish I knew, Dani," said Luna, sighing, "I wish I knew."

"…Enough of the depressing talk," said Danielle after several long moments, looking determined. She then turned to Luna, "What do you like the most about this time period?"

Luna blinked at the subject change but smiled, seeing what Danielle was doing. "Several things, I suppose. Tia did a good job in changing various things so it makes much more sense and easier to understand. The educational systems, the political reforms." She smiled now, "The night life. Have you been to something called a 'bar'? Truly, to some ponies, the night does last forever!"

Danielle chuckled before it devolved into a full blown laugh at Luna's energetic response. "Oh Equestria, we need to hit a bar sometime. It takes a lot to make me drunk and as an Alicorn, you can handle a lot as well. Oh, maybe you could try being a DJ at some point."

It was clear that Luna only had a bare understanding of what a 'DJ' was, but she was the type of mare to try almost anything at least once so she quickly agreed. "I see no reason I cannot try. I could try my hoof at it, see if it is something I might like or not."

Danielle had to suppress a snigger at the idea of Luna behind a turntable as she worked a DJ mic.

They lapsed into another period of silence but it was anything but uncomfortable. Just lying on their backs and watching the stars seemed more important than talking at the moment. Luna finally broke the silence.

"Anything happen to you recently?" Asked Luna, honestly curious.

"Just the last few days? Well, a human obsessed unicorn broke into my room in the middle of the night and watched me sleep. I threw her out of the house of course." Luna grumbled under her breath about stalker unicorns and Danielle smiled, wondering if a sea green mare would be getting a nightmare soon. "I woke up this morning to find that Riley had snuck into my room from a bad dream."

Luna looked guilty and sighed. "I am sorry. My only excuse is that Equestria is a big country and I cannot fix every nightmare every night-"

"Luna, I don't blame you for letting a nightmare or two slip past the cracks," reassured Danielle, smiling at her understandingly. "You're just one mare. Anyway, Riley and I toured the town for a bit and I saved a family of ponies from getting kidnapped by Diamond Dogs of all things."

That caused the lunar princess to double take. "I am sorry, but what?"

Danielle explained everything and Luna frowned. "That is strange. I have long questioned why Tia allows Diamond Dogs into the country when they have captured ponies in the past, but the last I heard, they do not have a 'mistress.'"

"They don't," said Danielle, shaking her head. "Well, their hierarchy doesn't have one in their packs the last I heard. They do have various alphas with a big boss in charge of all the dogs in the world, but they never refer to them as a 'mistress.'"

Diamond Dog culture was run more like a mafia than other species in the world. There was a big boss in charge, a large pack in most countries run by an alpha and smaller packs scattered around led by their own weaker betas. They ran their packs very much like crime families would, hence the similarities she made to a mafia, but without any Godfather references.

"In any case, I'm glad I stopped them with the help of Rainbow Dash and maybe we can find out more about what is going on."

Luna nodded and cuddled close to Danielle on the blanket, making the human smile at her and hold her close, simply staring at the stars.

Neither of them allowed themselves to do more than cuddle and even then, they made sure hands and hooves were kept away from anything that could spark stronger feelings. They didn't try to kiss each other, they only allowed themselves to feel the other's natural body heat while remaining close.

Luna had learned to value silence, peace and quiet, and simply relaxing next to Danielle was so much more peaceful than anything she had experienced since she had come back to Equestria. Danielle herself needed nothing more than to simply enjoy being in Luna's presence again, hardly believing that she was doing so after so long.

The human enjoyed Luna's head on her shoulder, an arm around her as the mare cuddled with her. All ponies, but especially princesses, needed cuddles and Danielle was more than willing to give Luna all she needed and more.

When it finally became time to pack up, neither was very eager to get up and get back to reality, but all things needed to come to an end eventually. Sighing, Danielle gently nudged Luna's side and the mare knew what the human was trying to convey, sighing herself and standing.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, Luna simply using her magic to pack up the blanket and leftover food into a large basket hidden in some bushes nearby. Luna finally sighed. "I love you, you know that, right?"

Danielle smiled and nodded. "I know. I love you too. I never stopped."

Luna's soft smile grew slightly as they embraced each other, the mare trying hard to not show her damp eyes. "I missed you, so much."

Danielle let out a breath and rubbed Luna's back gently, tangling her fingers into the soft and free flowing mane. "I really want to kiss you, Luna, but that might be too fast right now." Luna sighed but nodded, enjoying the feeling of Danielle's fingers run through her mane. "Next date?"

"I would love to," smiled Luna, holding herself from kissing Danielle as well.

The act of kissing was completely different for ponies than it was for humans. For a pony, the simple acts of cuddling and nuzzling meant so much that on a physical standpoint, it was all they needed. Kissing however was deemed more intimate, something special that was only shared between two lovers or those in serious relationships.

Danielle and Luna had been well beyond that point in the past, but they needed to build up to that again.

Giving each other one last squeeze, they separated and, Luna teleporting the basket back to Canterlot, they took off again as they flew back to Ponyville. It didn't take long before they landed back on Danielle's doorstep and the human smiled at Luna. "I had a great time, Lulu. Thank you."

Luna smiled, looking pleased with herself. "Before I forget, Dani, my sister wanted to see you tomorrow, in the castle."

Danielle nodded, knowing she would have to sooner or later. "Any time in particular?"

"Just before noon," said Luna.

"I'll be there. Now go and defend our dreams, Lulu."

The lunar princess nodded and extended her wings again, gave Danielle another loving look before taking off, winging her way back to Canterlot.

Sure she had a happy smile on her face, Danielle went into the house.

XXXXXX

On the table before her were seemingly dozens of scrolls filled with the notes she had taken. The moment Twilight left a memory, she wrote down as many details as she could remember and had Spike proofread them before allowing him to add his own contributions. Almost as soon as she was done, she entered another memory and the process repeated itself.

Twilight shook herself, yawning slightly as she finished her latest batch of notes. She had gone through Danielle's trip to London to get her school supplies, the train ride to Hogwarts (she still questioned why a school was named that), her sorting into Gryffindor, her various friends, classes, and teachers and something about a Nicolas Flamel and a Philosopher's Stone.

A stone that could turn metal to gold and create the Elixir of Life? Who wouldn't be tempted by that?

Spike yawned himself, his bed time approaching rapidly. "Twilight, we've been at this for hours. Not to mention that meeting you have tomorrow. We should be getting some shut eye."

"One more memory, Spike," Twilight yawned, not wanting to go to bed yet. She was a night owl by nature but she had been working through Danielle's life all day and needed a break for something other than food.

Levitating the book over, she saw that it was at some point in mid to late June of 1992. "Last one, then bed, I promise Spike."

The dragon reluctantly nodded and entered the memory with Twilight, watching as the scenery changed around them. When it came into focus again, they saw that it was the Hogwarts grounds and an eleven year old Danielle was relaxing with her friends, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom by the large lake.

"No more studying, we can relax," said Neville, his back prompt against a tree.

Hermione was reading through her test again as Danielle chuckled. "Hermione, relax, will you? The test is over, we don't have anything to do until September."

"I'm just checking my answers," said Hermione defensively, huffing slightly as she reluctantly set her papers down. She frowned when Danielle winced slightly, the redhead's hand almost moving toward her scar. "Is your scar still hurting?"

Danielle sighed and nodded. "It keeps burning and I don't know why."

"There's always the hospital wing," suggested Neville, raising an eyebrow as he moved away from the tree in slight concern.

"I'm not sick. It just feels like…a warning. Like danger is coming and I don't know what."

"I had a feeling like that just last night," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Woke up at three in the morning and started studying for my Transfiguration exam when I suddenly remembered, we've done that one."

Danielle shook her head as Twilight had to roll her eyes at Spike, who was giving her pointed looks. "This seems like something different. Something important like…" She trailed off as she thought about it when her eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Of course." She jumped to her feet. "We need to see Hagrid, now."

"Now?" Asked Neville, standing as Hermione did the same.

"Now," Danielle confirmed and started rushing toward Hagrid's, her friends hurrying to catch up. As she walked, Twilight was trying to figure things out herself when Danielle continued. "Don't you think it's a bit strange? The thing Hagrid wants most is a dragon and a guy shows up who just happens to have one? Why didn't I see it before?"

Twilight's own eyes widened. "Of course! I was so distracted by the dragon egg and the differences between dragons then and now, it slipped my own mind!"

"In yours and Danielle's defense, there is a lot going on," said Spike, trying to console Twilight as they approached Hagrid.

The large bearded giant had his sleeves rolled up as he shelled a pile of peas into a large bowl. He still heard Danielle and the others approach however and greeted them warmly. "Afternoon you three; exams over then? I was jus' abou' to have a cup o' dandelion juice."

Neville looked eager to have some when Danielle cut him off. "Sorry, Hagrid but we're in a hurry. Tell me, that night you won Norbert. Did you and the guy you won him from talk at all?"

Hagrid raised an eyebrow at the subject but frowned as he thought about it. "Well…sure, we did. Yeah…he asked what I did an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after…so I told him…an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…"

Twilight and Spike shook their heads while it was clear that Danielle and Hermione were trying hard not to do the same.

"Let's see…yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want ter go ter any old home…So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"And did he…did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Asked Danielle, clearly trying to keep her voice calm.

"Well…yeah, how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even when yer in the trade? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight ter sleep-" Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" He blurted out. "Forget I said it!"

Danielle swallowed. "Right, of course, Hagrid. Could I ask if you knew what he looked like?"

"Dunno, he wouldn' take the hood of his cloak off."

The three young humans looked at each other. "Thanks, Hagrid," said Danielle, her smile not showing how panicked she clearly was.

Rushing away from Hagrid's hut at the fastest speed they could while still being polite, the three first years sped across the grounds before finally coming to a stop away from everyone else in the Entrance Hall.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Danielle. "Hagrid told the stranger how to get past Fluffy, and whoever it was no doubt will have told Voldemort. It must've been easy, once they got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to-" Danielle began but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you three doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely for her.

 _'_ _He's the headmaster, he should be available to any student who wants to see him,'_ Thought Twilight, not sure why Hogwarts students wouldn't know where his office was. If she ever became the head of a school, she would let everyone know where her office would be.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though the idea of three first years asking for such a thing was unheard of. "Why?"

Danielle looked anxious, unsure of how to progress. She finally seemed to take a risk but Professor McGonagall continued before she could say anything.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," said McGongall coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" Asked Danielle, her nervous look growing. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time-"

"Look, Professor McGonagall," said Danielle, trying to remain calm, "We think someone is going after the Philosopher's Stone."

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know-?"

"Professor, I think, I know, that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I have to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

"She should take them seriously now," said Spike, smiling at that.

He was disappointed when Professor McGonagall continued. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it. It's too well protected."

"She's not even bothering to take them seriously?" Asked Twilight, confused. "She's not even entertaining the idea of humoring them?" Her fairly high opinion of McGongall just took a hit.

"But Professor-"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," said McGonagall shortly. She bent down and gathered up her fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

But they didn't.

Twilight and Spike watched as Danielle, Hermione and Neville tried to keep tabs on the most likely suspects of wanting to steal the Stone. When that didn't work, Danielle had reluctantly accepted that someone had to protect the Stone, and it might as well be her, Hermione and Neville promising to come with her.

The Alicorn Princess of Friendship had spent her childhood studying and being anti-social, so seeing an eleven year old and her friends go on an adventure like this made her wonder what kind of things she had missed out on. Spike had more of a social life at that time than she had had back then.

This was clearly something that should be handled by adults and the only reason that three pre-teens were getting involved was because the adults didn't take them seriously. Twilight started wondering if the CMC asked for her help at any time and she had dismissed them because she was too busy.

The memory sped onward and the pony and dragon watched as Danielle, Hermione and Neville snuck out bed in the middle of the night and got through the various traps designed to stop adults trying to get the stone.

Twilight was not impressed by the traps.

It was well documented that music could calm the mighty Cerberus so that was simply using a wooden flute that Danielle had brought from Hagrid of all people. Twilight's eyes narrowed. Why would the likable giant give Danielle the solution to his part of what was protecting the Stone?

Devil's Snare was easily beaten by Neville being an expert in plants and remembering a lesson earlier in the year. Flying keys would have been hard if there hadn't been flying brooms in the room as well.

"Why would they include brooms in a flying challenge?" Demanded Spike, seeing the problem here. He looked at Twilight with an exasperated expression. "They're asking for someone to solve this puzzle."

"It would make more sense if there wouldn't be anything to help them fly," agreed Twilight, shaking her head in disappointment.

A giant chess set at least made more sense than many puzzles before it, but Twilight would have made it so the large pieces would attack the players if it looked like they were about to lose. While none of the three students were that good at chess, they were able to win by working together and agreeing on the best moves to counteract the white pieces.

The worst part about this puzzle was that Neville had to sacrifice himself to allow the two girls to keep going but he had done so with no issues and gave Danielle a good speech to keep her going.

At least an already unconscious troll prevented the two girls from walking into a trap as soon as the chess set was over.

Twilight had to cock her head to the side when they encountered the next puzzle though, as it was a table with several potion bottles along with a piece of parchment. As soon as the two girls stepped inside the room, different kinds of fire burst into existence along the two doors, one black and the other purple, preventing them from either continuing or going back. They were trapped.

Danielle swallowed as she examined the fire. "Hermione, I really hope you have a good idea how to solve this."

Hermione looked at the paper and Danielle stepped behind her so she could read it over her friend's shoulder.

 ** _Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_**

 ** _Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_**

 ** _One among us seven will let you move ahead,_**

 ** _Another will transport the drinker back instead,_**

 ** _Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_**

 ** _Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._**

 ** _Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_**

 ** _To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_**

 ** _First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_**

 ** _You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_**

 ** _Second, different are those who stand at either end,_**

 ** _But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_**

 ** _Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_**

 ** _Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_**

 ** _Fourth, the second on the left and the second on the right_**

 ** _Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._**

Twilight blinked as she instantly and logically went over the puzzle and started to work it out just as Hermione let out a great sigh and turn to Danielle. "Brilliant," said Hermione, "This isn't magic, it's logic, a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"But you know how to solve it, right?"

"Of course," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this parchment. Seven bottles: three are poison, two are wine, one will get us safely through the black fire and one will get us back through the purple."

"But how do we know which ones to drink or that the bottles really have what the parchment says they do."

Hermione's and Twilights's eyes widened at the thought of the wrong potions in the wrong bottles and Hermione swallowed. "I guess we'll have to assume it's accurate. We can't do anything else, can we?"

Danielle clearly didn't like it but nodded as Hermione got to work, the brunette going over the various bottles. She walked up and down the table, muttering to herself and pointing at them occasionally. Just as Twilight figured out the answer, Hermione clapped her hands.

"Got it. The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire, toward the Stone."

Danielle picked up the smallest bottle. "There's only enough for one, it's hardly one swallow." She and Hermione looked at each other. "Which one will get you back through the purple fire?"

Hermione picked up another bottle near the end of the line.

Danielle steeled herself and looked at Hermione. "You drink that," she quickly continued when it looked like Hermione would argue. "No, listen, get back and get Neville. Grab the brooms from the flying key challenge and use them to get past the trapdoor and Fluffy. Send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold whoever is after the stone off for a while, but I'm no match for an adult, really."

Hermione bit her lip. "But Danielle, what if You-Know-Who is with them?"

"Well…I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Danielle put her hand against her chest, where the scar Voldemort had left on her was. "I might get lucky again."

Twilight had had a feeling that Danielle at this age wasn't the most emotionally balanced child. The way Danielle's life had gone so far, she was sure the girl was mentally wondering when she would die. Not if she would die early, but when. It really tugged at her heart to see Danielle so accepting of possibly dying if it meant saving people, putting herself in danger because adults wouldn't take her words seriously.

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Danielle and threw her arms around her.

"Hermione!"

"Danielle…you're a great witch, you know."

"I'm not as good as you," said Danielle, very embarrassed, looking like she had no idea how to handle someone hugging her.

Hermione let go. "Me! Books! And cleverness! There are more important things…friendship and bravery and…oh Danielle, be careful!"

It was obvious what the third thing Hermione had almost said was but neither commented on it, Twilight seriously wondering if there was anything between Danielle and Hermione or if there would be later in the memories.

"You drink first," said Danielle, trying to get them back on track. "You are sure which is which if the bottles aren't switched, aren't you?"

"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle and shuddered.

"It's not poison?" Asked Danielle anxiously.

"No…but it's like ice."

"Quick, go, before it wears off."

"Good luck, take care."

"GO!"

Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.

Danielle took a deep breath and held the tiny bottle in her hand. She turned toward the black flames.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered and drained the bottle in one gulp. Shuddering herself, she put the bottle down and ran forward, bracing herself for impact. Sure enough, the black flames licked her body but didn't burn her as she went through the next door, standing in the last chamber.

There was already someone there.

It was Quirrell.

Twilight and Spike stared at the cowardly and usually stuttering man in complete confusion, never getting an evil vibe from him at all.

Danielle was obviously just as surprised, not having expected him.

"You?"

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.

"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

"But I thought…was Snape too obvious…?"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering voice but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

Danielle looked so confused. "So it wasn't Snape that tried to kill me? At that Quidditch match?"

"That's what I thought," said Spike, trying to wrap his head around the unsuspecting Quirrell being the bad guy.

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."

Danielle opened her mouth, closed it and tried again.

"Snape was trying to save me? Why? He obviously hates me."

"That's the impression I got as well," said Twilight, never seeing so much hate in someone as Snape did for Danielle.

"Of course," said Quirrell cooly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

Before Danielle could move or say anything, Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around her.

"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?"

Twilight remembered a scene a few memories back that showed that Danielle knew Quirrell had faked his fainting spell at that feast. Danielle had told Hermione and Neville that people who fainted fell backward but those who pretended fell forward. Danielle had dismissed it as Quirrell being too cowardly to face against a troll and hadn't thought much about it.

"Certainly, I have a special gift with trolls…you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off, and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.

"Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

It was only then that Danielle, Twilight and Spike realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.

"The memory where Danielle saw her family," said Spike, reminding Twilight and the mare nodded, watching intently as she was picking up traces of very dark magic around Quirrell, visible to her even in a memory.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell muttered, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…"

"You sent that letter to get Dumbledore out of the castle," blurted out Danielle, trying to find any give in the tight ropes around her.

"I had to get him out of the castle somehow and it was such an easy ploy to pull off," said Quirrell, frowning as he continued his tapping. "The Ministry will be in for a surprise when he arrives."

"I saw you and Snape in the forest."

"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around to examine the back of the mirror. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me…as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"

Danielle, Twilight and Spike shuddered at the sound of the dark lord.

Quirrell came back from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.

"I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?"

Danielle struggled harder against the ropes around her, but they didn't give in. She tried keeping the man distracted again.

"Snape always seems to hate me so much."

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"Why am I thinking of you and Trixie?" Asked Spike to Twilight, who shushed him as she focused on the memory.

"But I heard you a few days ago, crying…I thought Snape was threatening you…"

For the first time, a spasm of fear came across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions…he is a great wizard and I am weak."

Twilight's and Danielle's eyes widened.

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Danielle gasped.

"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…"

Quirrell's voice trailed away and Danielle closed her eyes forcefully, she seemed like she was punishing herself. Twilight remembered that Danielle had met Quirrell at the Leakey Cauldron, shaken hands with him the very day the Stone was removed from the bank.

Quirrell cursed under his breath.

"I don't understand…is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

Danielle shifted so she could look into the mirror as well but the ropes around her wouldn't cooperate. The ropes around her ankles suddenly tightened and she tripped and fell over. Quirrell still seemed to be talking to himself.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

To everyone but Quirrell's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from the lone adult human in the room himself.

"Use the girl…Use the girl…"

Quirrell rounded on Danielle.

"Yes, Potter, come here."

He clapped his hands once and the ropes binding Danielle fell off. She slowly got to her feet.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Danielle swallowed and walked toward the mirror. Quirrell moved close behind her, making the girl shudder. She closed her eyes, stepped in front of the mirror and opened them again.

Twilight watched, frowning in thought as she did so, as Danielle's scared-looking expression slowly changed. The reflection smiled at her. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back into it's pocket and as it did so, Twilight could see a small lump form in Danielle's actual pocket. Somehow, incredibly, Danielle had gotten the Stone.

"She has the Stone now," groaned Spike, knowing that Danielle was a target now.

"Well?" Asked Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Danielle swallowed.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," she lied. "I…I won the house cup for Gryffindor."

It was believable, but would it be enough?

Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of my way," he said. As Danielle moved aside, her eyes darted to the door out of the chamber, wondering if she could make a break for it.

She hadn't moved more than five steps when the high pitched voice spoke again, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"She lies…She lies…"

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you see?"

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to her…face-to-face…"

"Voldemort is in the room?" Asked Twilight, looking panicked.

"How can…?" Asked Spike, his voice trailing off.

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Said Quirrell.

"I have strength enough…for this…"

Twilight, Spike and Danielle shivered, the human girl unable to move from the fear she was feeling. Scared, they watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban.

The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. He then revolved slowly on the spot.

Twilight screamed, wings extended on other side of her as she jumped back in horror. Spike didn't look much better as he jumped away as well. Where the back of Quirrell's head would have been was a face, the most terrible face they had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Danielle Potter…" it whispered.

Danielle would have taken a step back if her legs could move.

"See what I have become?" The face asked. "Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past few weeks…"

Twilight shuddered at the reminder.

"Faithful Quirrell drank it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

Danielle, with a great deal of effort, stumbled backwards, almost tripping over herself to get away from Voldemort.

"Don't be a fool," snarled Voldemort. "Better save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…They died begging me for mercy…"

The redheaded girl's hands clenched. "THAT'S A LIE!"

Quirrell was backward at her so that Voldemort could still see her. That evil face was now smiling.

"How touching…I aways value bravery…Yes, girl, your parents were brave…I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight…"

Twilight and Spike tried hard not point out that James didn't go out with a bang so much as a whisper.

"But your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you…Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

As if Danielle had an energy surge through her, she shook her head furiously. "NEVER!" She made a break for the door.

"SEIZE HER!"

Quirrell was on her in an instant, grabbing Danielle's wrist. At once, Danielle screamed as her other hand clutched at her scar and she doubled her efforts to get Quirrell away from her. To everyone's surprise, Quirrell let go of her.

"Huh?"

Danielle stumbled back a step and looked back at Quirrell. The man was hunching over in pain, looking at his fingers as they crumbled to dust before his eyes.

"What is this magic!" Cried Quirrell, not understanding what was happening.

"Seize her! SEIZE HER!" Shirked Voldemort again and Quirrell launched himself at Danielle. So surprised, she was unable to stop him as he crashed into her, knocking her off her feet as his other hand wrapped around her neck.

Danielle screamed in agony again, her scar burning more than ever. Yet again, Quirrell was forced to pull away as his other hand crumbled to dust as well.

"I haven't a clue what kind of magic this is," muttered Twilight as she watched in morbid fascination.

"Master, I cannot hold her…my hands, my hands!"

"Then kill her, fool, and be done!" Screeched Voldemort.

Before Quirrell could do anything, Danielle acted through the blinding pain she was feeling and freed her hand. Unable to do anything else, she weakly punched Quirrell in the face, amazed that it was strong enough to actually force him off her.

Panting in exertion and pain, Danielle sat up only to see Quirrell's face start crumbling to dust as well. His screams of pain made everyone in the memory shudder as the man fell over, nothing more than dust wrapped in Hogwarts robes.

Breathing heavily, clearly exhausted, Danielle took the Stone out of her pocket and stared at it, as if wondering how something so small could cause so many problems. She was about to leave when something gaseous seemed to rise from Quirrell's remains.

Scared again, clearly wanting to just call it night, Danielle couldn't move as a face formed in the gas and screamed as it flew right at her. Danielle screamed as well as it passed through her, knocking her off her feet again as she fell hard onto the floor.

Twilight watched as Voldemort's spirit flew away through a wall to leave Hogwarts. Danielle was now knocked out cold, the Stone a few inches from her fingers.

"That was…" started Twilight, looking at Danielle's unconscious body sadly. So much death and destruction, all for an eleven-year old girl who shouldn't have to deal with things like this.

"That was really brave of her," said Spike, smiling sadly at the girl as well.

"She shouldn't have to deal with things like this, Spike," said Twilight softly, wanting nothing more than to run a hoof through Danielle's hair, comfort her as much as she could while promising that nothing like that would happen again.

The memory skipped ahead and the scenery around them changed. Twilight and Spike were now standing in what was clearly the medical section of the school if the plain hospital beds were any indication. Danielle was in one of the beds, clearly asleep as various parts of her body were bandaged, particularly her chest where her scar was.

"Danielle won't be in a happy place when she wakes up," muttered Twilight, worriedly.

"Any reason why?" Asked Spike, curious. "Other than the obvious, of course."

Twilight didn't say anything for a moment before she sighed. "While it was in self-defense and completely justifiable, Danielle still did just kill someone. If she has any amount of empathy whatsoever, she's not going to be fine at all mentally."

Spike nodded in understanding, looking worried as well.

They didn't have to wait long before Danielle woke up with a groan, eyes slowly opening as she took in her surroundings with no small amount of confusion. Hissing in pain as she tried to sit up, she noticed the bandages around her for the first time and the look of confusion grew. A few moments later however, her brain started working again and a look of dawning comprehension came onto her face as she swallowed.

She didn't have much time to brood over it though as the door opened and Dumbledore stepped into the hospital wing. He didn't look too surprised to see her already awake.

"Good afternoon, Danielle."

Danielle stared at him, her eyes showing how lost and in pain she was in. She swallowed again and tried to smile as much as she could, which wasn't much. "Sir. I…I take it that…"

Dumbledore smiled at her and approached closer. "If you inquiring about the Stone, then you can relax. Professor Quirrell does not have it, nor anyone affiliated with him."

Danielle nodded mutely, not trusting herself to say anything. Looking around in an effort to distract herself, she noticed for the first time that there was a table next to the bed she was in that was piled high with what looked like half a candy shop.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming.

"Admirers?" Asked Danielle softly.

"What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school has a very good idea of what might have happened. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."

Danielle tried to smile again at the twin's antics, but it came out more as a grimace than anything else. "How long have I been in here?"

"Three days. Mr. Longbottom and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."

At that news, Danielle did cheer up slightly, but she was still clearly lost in her own mind, thinking hard about everything. "Who has the Stone now?"

Dumbledore gave a soft sigh. "Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived to see you passed out with the remains of him nearby. I can only hope you were unconscious when that happened."

Danielle didn't say anything for a long moment, as if at war with herself about telling the headmaster or not that she had seen everything. She finally shook herself slightly. "You got Hermione's owl?"

"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London that it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived in time to stabilize you and bring you here." Neither said anything for a moment, both looking for hidden answers to questions they had without actually saying anything. "As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

Danielle blinked, not expecting that. Neither did Twilight or Spike. "Destroyed?" Asked Danielle, blankly. "But…Nicolas Flamel-"

"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" Asked Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."

Danielle mouthed the words 'thing properly' but didn't say it out loud, clearly confused and not wanting to argue. Still, she was sad when she asked her next question. "But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."

"Is it even possible to destroy such an item?" Wondered Twilight as she thought about it. "The amount of magic needed to make something like that would make it almost impossible to destroy."

Dumbledore misread Danielle's expression of exhaustion and confusion. "To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Pernelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

Only Twilight and Spike were aware of the irony at play here as Danielle would later grow much, much older than Nicolas Flamel with no signs of dying any time soon.

"You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing," Dumbledore continued. "As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all…the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

It didn't take a Princess of Friendship to know that Danielle had not felt anything at the thought of living forever or all the money she could want. Twilight was getting a sense that all Danielle wanted was family and friends, with immortality being the last thing on her mind.

Danielle sat there, lost in her own thoughts. Dumbledore hummed a little as she did so.

"Sir?" Asked Danielle. "I've been thinking…even if the Stone's gone…Voldemort is still going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? He isn't gone, has he?"

"No, Danielle, he has not," said Dumbledore. "He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share…not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Danielle, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time…and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."

"Like a more persistent Sombra," Twilight muttered.

Danielle was silent for a time again and her next question was fairly flat and emotionless. "Quirrell was going to die regardless of what I did, right? That possession…it was killing him, wasn't it?"

Dumbledore let out a breath and nodded. "That level of possession and such a long period of time, well…it is parasitic in nature. I am afraid that the moment he agreed to let Voldemort possess him, Professor Quirrell was living on borrowed time. I imagine if he had managed to get the Stone and Voldemort used it to return, the host would have died anyway."

Unsurprisingly, that didn't make Danielle look any better about what she had done. "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me…things I want to know the truth about…"

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Well…Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"

Twilight was listening intently, wanting to know the answer as well. It was the biggest thing she just couldn't figure out about this mystery and it was killing her.

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.

"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day…put it from your mind for now, Danielle. When you are older…I know you hate to hear this…when you are ready, you will know."

Twilight threw her hooves into the air and let out a loud growl of frustration. "I HATE that answer!"

"Tell me about it," said Spike, giving Twilight a knowing look.

"Spike…"

"I get it, really," said Spike, crossing his arms with a grunt. "But I hate hearing that as well. I'm a baby dragon, I get it, but I'm not a baby."

"We'll talk about that later," said Twilight, groaning.

Danielle didn't bother to argue.

"Why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves it's own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever."

Twilight and Spike, frustration forgotten, started tearing up as the Alicorn mare hugged the dragon next to her, much to Spike's embarrassment and guilty pleasure of enjoying it.

"It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

Dumbledore became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Danielle time to dry her eyes on the bedsheets.

By this point, Danielle looked ready to take another three-day long nap but she still had questions. Recovering enough to talk again, she looked at Dumbledore. "And the invisibility cloak, do you know who sent it to me?"

"Ah, you father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things…your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."

"There's something else…"

"Fire away."

"Quirrell and Snape-"

"Professor Snape, Danielle."

"Yes, him…Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"

"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."

"What?"

"He saved his life."

That made Danielle, Twilight and Spike blink in shock. "What?"

"Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt…I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…"

"There has to be more to the story than that," said Spike, frowning at Dumbledore.

"Agreed," said Twilight. "He's hiding something, but I don't think it's anything terrible."

Danielle's exhausted expression grew and was plainly obvious to everyone but she managed to keep going. "Sir, there's one more thing…"

"Just the one?"

"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"

Twilight and Spike watched Dumbledore intently, wanting to know as well.

"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone; find it, but not use it, would be able to get it otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking the Elixir of Life."

Twilight started making mental notes to see if she could replicate that.

"My brain surprises even me sometimes…Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them…but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

"Why would a vomit flavored candy even be a thing?" Groaned Twilight, wondering what was wrong with these people.

Dumbledore smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked. "Alas! Ear wax!"

"Candy is meant to be enjoyed!" Said Twilight, growing annoyed. "If Pinkie has taught me anything, it's that!"

"I thought Pinkie taught you to not question everything and just accept things from time to time?" Asked Spike, smiling as he crossed his arms smugly.

Twilight growled at him.

The memory ended there and both were ejected back to their castle and their own bodies.

 **XXXXXX**

 **(First Person)**

And once again I'm waiting for a train heading to a city in Equestria. This time I'm waiting for the _lovely_ re-meeting of Celestia and find out how Canterlot is run.

Joy.

At least Riley is somewhat looking forward to it as she's almost bouncing in her seat next to me with an eager expression on her face. Chuckling, I ran a hand through her mane and she pouted a bit at me but that only made my amused expression grow stronger and she didn't stop me so I assumed it was fine.

Looking around for a moment, I saw that the train station was almost empty, not surprising due to how cold the weather was, but I was expecting more ponies at least. I had to smile slightly in bemusement as the only other two I could see was that lavender princess mare I had seen the other day and what seemed to be a baby dragon? That was different.

"Excited to go to Canterlot, Riley?" I asked.

Riley blushed slightly but shrugged. "Um…not really? I, uh…I like trains…" She trailed off but I was still able to hear it easily and I smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah…dad liked them too…had an actual model of them at one point." Riley started looking uncomfortable, probably wondering if she should explain more.

I nodded encouragingly. "That's good. Did you know I used to ride a train to school every year when I was a little older than you?"

Riley shook her head but looked better now, looking curious.

"Have you been to Canterlot before, Miss Danielle?"

I shook my head and sighed, leaning against the back of the seat as I did so. "I've been to where Canterlot was before it was built, but no, I've never been there when there was a city there. It will be interesting to see what's it like now."

From all the rumors I had heard over the decades, I had a strong feeling that most ponies of Canterlot were nothing more but noble and pretentious assholes, but I held out hope that at least a couple of ponies there were tolerable. Other than Celestia and Luna, anyway. Well…Luna.

About five minutes later the train finally arrived and it didn't take me long to shepherd Riley in, finding a decent enough spot about halfway down. While there weren't any private compartments, the train was so empty that I didn't think it was needed.

"Why didn't Princess Cadence or Flurry come too?" Asked Riley as she sat down in her seat, looking up at me curiously.

I smiled and conjured a blanket for her, since it was still cold in the train compartment, which she wasted no time before diving into. "Princess Cadence doesn't wanted to be spotted in Canterlot for the moment and she's not needed for the meeting Celestia is calling for today."

Riley cocked her head to the side. "What meeting?"

"Don't know," I shrugged, getting comfortable as I could on the fairly old seats. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure entirely. Now then," I leaned forward and looked at Riley intensely, which made her back into her seat slightly, "have you thought of what school you want to go to yet?"

Riley groaned and instantly started sulking, making me give her a look. "Can't you teach me, please?"

I smiled and chuckled, but shook my head in the negative. "Sorry, but getting an education is only half of why you need to go to school. You need to get out there and meet other ponies your own age, Riley, and trust me, friends can make your life a lot easier and interesting."

Riley continued to sulk before sighing, nodding in acceptance of her guardian's answer. "Okay…I guess the local Ponyville school is fine."

"Don't think you qualify for Celestia's gifted school?"

"Not really," said Riley, looking dejected. "I'm not that good at magic. I get tired easily."

"Ah," I nodded, seeing the problem. "I saw you working on your magic a few days ago and that's good, but you also stopped relatively early for a unicorn filly your age. I'm guessing you just have a smaller magical reserve than average."

Riley sighed in defeat but I wasn't done yet.

"But that might change once you get your cutie mark," I continued, making her look at me again with the start of a sign of hope. "Once ponies get their cutie marks, it is possible that your natural magical potential might increase. It isn't rare for fillies and colts without them to get a big boost in magical power after they get them."

Riley smiled at that, instantly wondering what her special talent could be.

The train finally finished refueling and prep work and started off toward Canterlot soon after, causing Riley to rush to the window, happily watching as the scenery started passing us by.

It was official, I was buying a train set for Riley while we were in Canterlot. It was too cute to see her excited expression as her tail whipped happily back and forth.

It wouldn't be a long trip so I sighed in contentment and propped my feet up, humming as I relaxed for the trip.

The door to our train car opened about five minutes after we left the station and I cracked an eye open to see that it was that lavender princess from before. I had to seriously wonder what was so special about this mare as I kept track of her as she came in our direction. Why was this mare found worthy enough to get both wings and a horn?

If Astelle wasn't reason enough to worry about giving a pony that kind of power. At least immortality wasn't part of the ascension process anymore.

Riley was now back in her seat and had been reading a book I had brought for her just in case she was bored. Looking up in the direction I was, the filly saw the princess mare as well and went back to her book, apparently not finding her interesting enough to hold her attention.

"Uh, hi," said the mare, looking nervous. The dragon next to her waved a little awkwardly before going to sit next to Riley, who had raised her eyebrow at him curiously. "You're…Danielle, right?"

I nodded, curious as well about where she was going with this. "Yes, and you're the local princess of the area."

"Twilight Sparkle," she confirmed, nodding as she slowly sat down across from me, appearing hesitant in every movement she made. "I was Princess Celestia's student."

"Ah," I nodded, not sure what else to say. "…Celestia had taught the odd student a few things every now and then back in the day, but it wasn't until after I left when she started taking personal pupils."

Twilight winced at the mention of the solar princess without her title but didn't say anything about it.

"I heard from my friends that you met them all at least once. Rarity and Fluttershy in particular said nothing but good things about you." Said Twilight, relaxing slowly when it became clear that I had no ill will toward her.

"Rarity and I have several things in common and we helped each other out a couple of times already, her even making me a full wardrobe," I smiled at that. "As for Fluttershy, it's almost impossible not to admire her kindness, which was more than clear after just one meeting with her."

"Well, a friend of Rarity's is a friend of mine," said the dragon, extending his claw out to me with a smile. "Name's Spike."

"Danielle Potter," I answered, taking his claw in my hand, shaking it. I had to admit to myself that I didn't expect to see a purple dragon out here, let alone such a young one, but he seemed like a nice kid so far. I had only met a couple of purple dragons before and I knew almost every important dragon in the world. That's how rare they were. "I'm sure there's a story about you two."

"Not too much to tell," said Twilight, making herself comfortable in her seat. Spike leaned back in his own chair and Riley leaned against the head rest, paying attention but looking out the window as well. "I hatched his egg during the entrance exam of Princess Celestia's school when I was a filly."

My eyes widened slightly at that, wondering if _that_ treaty was still in effect. It would explain why Celestia had a dragon egg of all things.

"Princess Celestia raised Spike when I was too young to do so," Twilight continued, not aware that I was thinking of other things, barely paying attention, "but I took over when I was old enough. Since then, he's practically been my younger brother."

Going over the limited information I had just received, I gathered that Spike was roughly ten to fifteen years old. The fact that ponies had raised him and other than Luna, none of them were very interested in dragon culture, meant that the one in front of me must know next to nothing about himself. It would also explain why he was so small since most dragons his age would at least be as tall as a pony by now.

I had raised a teenage dragon before so I had been forced to learn about their biology and culture.

I still smiled as much as I could and nodded, making it seem like I was paying attention to what Twilight was talking about. I had not forgotten that Cadence had told me a bit about this mare in front of me but things weren't adding up. The princess in front of me and I had a lot to talk about.

"I heard you traveled around the world?" Asked Spike when Twilight had paused long enough for him to speak, sounding interested.

My smile turned more genuine at the question. "At least twice, yes. Once after I left school and again after I left Equestria about a thousand years ago. The world has certainly changed and I have seen a lot of interesting sights."

"Could you take me sometime?" Came the surprising question from Riley of all ponies.

"If you want to, then of course we could travel together," I said with a chuckle. "Let's just wait until you're a bit older though, okay?"

Riley nodded in understanding and looked out the window again. She really did seem to like the idea of traveling.

I turned back to Twilight. "Here's a question I have for you," Twilight looked interested and nodded in acceptance, "I've been in Ponyville for less than a week and already met some mares that could have been the Elements of Harmony. Are all six of them there?"

"You know about the Elements? Which of my friends do you think have them?"

"Well, Fluttershy is a perfect candidate for the Element of Kindness and I would be surprised if Rarity wasn't the Element of Generosity." I had to hide my smile at seeing Spike look more interested at the mention of the fashionista. "Pinkie just screams that she's the Element of Laughter and Applejack either has Honesty or Loyalty, but I'm not sure which one."

Twilight blinked. "Wow, that is very good. Applejack has Honesty while Rainbow is the Element of Loyalty. I have the Element of Magic myself."

It was my turn to blink. "You know the responsibilities of having the Element of Magic? That's one of the two that I had, so you'll forgive me for being curious."

"You had the Element of Magic before me? And what do you mean by responsibilities? Princess Celestia never told me anything I had to do with it."

I sighed, nodding. "Yeah, that sounds like Celestia, alright. In this case though, I can understand why she never told you as it really is something you need to discover for yourself and she never wielded that Element." I paused and finally shrugged. "Okay, so while each of the Elements have specific roles in friendship, Magic is the one that binds the other Elements together. They're usually the leader, the glue that holds the others together. It's no wonder that Magic only appears when a spark is created from the other five. I cannot even begin to tell you of all the times I had to stop an argument between Celestia and Luna before it came to spells flying at each other."

Twilight's eyes were wide, staring at me in a mixture of awe of the information she was getting, and horror of the idea of the two sisters arguing most likely.

I snorted. "Contrary to popular belief, Celestia and Luna are just like any other pair of sisters. Considering how they are exact opposites in almost every possible way, it's no surprise that they argue more than other siblings. They are both far from perfect, despite how much Celestia has to pretend otherwise in public, and that I think is why they are both amazing. They have their flaws and faults, but they both try their best to run a country while the populous praise them as demigods."

In all honesty, both Celestia and Luna were closer to actual gods than demigods. It was strange to think about how powerful they really were if they went all out, especially when compared to other beings I had met.

Twilight fell silent, which I was thankful for and we spent the rest of the short train ride to Canterlot in silence. No one bothered us, proving that the train really was empty other than us, and that suited everyone, each lost in our own thoughts.

When the train pulled into Canterlot station, I sighed heavily and stood up from my seat, stretching as I did so. Getting a lone kink out of my shoulder, I looked at Riley and she jumped down as well, ready to head into the city.

"Okay, let's go and find out why Celestia wants to talk to me."

Twilight looked at me, coming out of whatever deep thought she was in. "You're going to see Princess Celestia too? She needed to see me for some meeting she was having today."

"Then it's a good thing we both came on the same train," I said, nodding as we left the train.

On the station waiting for us were a quartet of guards in magical armor that made them all look alike so no one could tell them apart from each other. All of them were holding spears at their sides but a glance told me that only three of them knew how to use them and even then it wasn't well.

One of the guards came up and nodded to us. "Miss Danielle, Miss Sparkle, Princess Celestia wanted us to escort you to the castle."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, no doubt wondering why this was needed when I interrupted whatever she was about to say. "Thank you for the escort sir. Please, lead the way."

The guard nodded and they formed into a diamond pattern around us as we walked into the city itself. One guard in front of us leading the way, two on other side while another brought up the rear. It was professional and I had to nod at the no nonsense way they took to their job.

I felt Riley move closer to me, her curiosity of the city now overshadowed by confusion and slight paranoia about why this escort was needed. Twilight looked at me with a confused expression as well.

"I used to live in Canterlot, why would Princess Celestia think this would be required?"

I looked at her. "For the locals who still live here. No one here has ever even heard of a human, let alone seen one, so the guards here are to make everyone living here feel safer about me being here."

"But, you wouldn't hurt anyone here," said Riley, who had been listening and actually looking a bit upset at the idea.

"You know that, and I know that, but the citizens of Canterlot don't know that. Besides, this also stops the locals from getting close to me to ask unwanted questions, so it all works out."

None of my other three companions, especially my new adopted daughter, were happy about the explanation but we walked in silence as we approached the castle. As we walked, it was common for locals to get curious about the guard escort but look away or go inside quickly the moment they noticed me.

I was used to it, really. It didn't mean I didn't feel a little saddened that my mere appearance made ponies uneasy and unwilling to spend time with me, but I was used to the inherent fear ponies had for me. I was different. The predator to their prey. It was natural for them to be scared of me.

Still hurt though.

I had never hurt a pony that didn't try and attack me first but…life wasn't fair. I was living proof of that.

When we got to the castle, the guards escorting us nodded to the ones on either side of the front doors. Doors opening, I had to nod at the tasteful entrance hall as we were moved over to the throne room, which was really a couple of throne like chairs at the end of a hallway filled with stained glass windows all depicting various important events of Equestrian history.

Seeing us, Celestia smiled from her throne and stood up on all fours, approaching as the guards stationed themselves to the various corners of the room, knowing better than to listen into the conversation. Though I had no delusion that they weren't all gossiping about what was going on behind our backs.

"Danielle, Twilight, so good to see you again," said Celestia as she approached the four of us. She nodded to Twilight with her usual kind smile, the motherly one that she always used to those that were important to her but also kept at arms length. I mentally rolled my eyes as I could tell she was holding herself back from other mothering Twilight like she wanted, but didn't say anything.

"Princess Celestia," said Twilight, smiling back but now looking worried and nervous. "Why did you call for us? What's this meeting about? What do you need me to do?"

"Patience, Twilight," said Celestia with a well practiced ease, like she had had to say that to the mare a lot in the past. "I am having a meeting set up in about an hour or so and we can talk about important matters then." She turned to me and her smile turned from motherly to a little lustful. "Would you like to accompany me to the gardens, Danielle?"

Knowing that it wasn't a request, I mentally sighed at seeing that the solar princess hadn't really changed that much over the years. "I would like to see any improvements the gardeners have made since the change of castles, so I accept. Riley, could you stay with Twilight and Spike for now?"

Riley reluctantly nodded and stayed with the lavender princess and dragon as Celestia almost pulled me from the room to the gardens. I sighed audibly this time as my shoulders slumped slightly, knowing what was about to happen.

At least the gardens were nice. A spell was clearly being used to make sure the cold outside didn't kill the greenery as various birds, squirrels and chipmunks were scattered around the trees and bushes from the four corners of Equestria. Taking in a deep breath and I could feel myself relaxing at the simulation of nature around me.

"You have no idea how much I wanted us to be alone together like this," said Celestia as we walked through the garden, showing off the various plants or animals. "I missed you a lot, Danielle."

"Celestia," I started, sighing as we walked, "How about we cut out the bull for the moment. You're trying to win me over and hoping that being all romantic with me is the key to doing so. How about some honesty for the moment?"

Celestia stopped in her tracks at the blunt way I spoke to her but smiled as she looked back at me. "Blunt honesty? I do not get much of that so I'm willing to agree. What do you want to talk about, Danielle?"

"How about you forcing me to come out to the garden with you, for a start?"

The large mare blinked, now looking confused. "I did not force you to come with me, did I?"

I sighed, sticking my hands into my pockets as I stared right into Celestia's eyes. "You did. Celestia, I'm not going to lie, I want to spend time with you too, but, and this is the blunt and honest truth, you're too used to getting your way. When you talked about showing me all of this," I gestured to the garden around us, "It was obvious you weren't going to take no for an answer."

Celestia blinked again before cocking her head to the side, going over what I had said as she analyzed everything. "Did I? It wasn't my intention…"

I smiled at seeing her start to get it. "Look, I like you, Celestia. Not as much as Luna, but I still like you. But you seem a bit too eager to be alone with me and I'm not there yet with you."

Celestia sighed and nodded, though she smiled sadly at me as well. "Alright, I get it. Still, is that hard to believe that I want you for myself?"

"Just…promise me that you won't go overboard this time, Celestia," I said, trying to get her to understand everything from my perspective. "You have me at a severe disadvantage here. You hold almost every card here. You're the popular princess that can get away with anything and you're used to getting away with everything. I can't go against you as the moment I try, the populace will turn against me with no issue whatsoever. They don't know me. I'm just some human stranger that's different from them. I might be more powerful than you, but that only makes things worse, not better."

The solar princess looked more and more uneasy as I spoke. "The last thing I want is to take advantage of you, Danielle. I did that by accident…and on purpose to my shame in the past, and I do not want to do that again."

"And I respect that," I ran a hand through my hair, a nervous habit I had had for as long as I could remember. "But you have to see this from my perspective. Here in Equestria, I'm a stranger that most ponies fear by just looking at me. I might be a hero and problem solver in other countries, but I'm not here. You have so much more power than I do here. You can easily take advantage of the situation and I wouldn't be able to stop you."

Celestia sat down on the garden path and sighed, her magenta eyes showing that she had not considered any of this. "I just want you back in my hooves again, is that so wrong? Danielle, I spent a thousand years…alone, thanks to me pushing everyone away."

She sighed as she looked at the sky above, a clear blue due to the local weather team removing clouds over the city itself.

I sighed as well as I conjured a chair and sat down next to her, looking at the sky as well as I thought of what I wanted to say. "I don't hate you, Celestia. It would be extremely easy to do so, but I don't. You screwed up and ruined things between us and Luna, but that was a thousand years ago, and I was never that good about keeping up old grudges…with the exception of Discord and Sombra. Still, I never stopped thinking about you or her. I just want you to realize that even though I'm forced to follow your orders in public as long as I'm here, it doesn't mean I'll appreciate it when it's just the two of us."

Celestia frowned. "I don't want you to think you _have_ to follow any orders I give you at all. I do apologize if I word something that makes you feel forced to do something you do not wish to do."

I let out a deep breath and nodded. "Noted. Now, how about a tour of the castle with Riley until the meeting you wanted."

The large mare smiled sadly and nodded, standing as I vanished the chair I conjured. "This is why I missed you so much. You tell me things I don't want to hear and actually challenge me instead of just doing whatever I ask you to do."

"In private when it's just the two of us," I added, giving her a look. "If you wanted, I could do it in public too, question everything you do or say in front of your court."

That actually made Celestia laugh, an honest one without sarcasm. "That would make my day court interesting, wouldn't it? It would probably make you unpopular and the common pony start questioning my sanity, but it would be amusing."

"I'll save it for your next gala or ball or whatever," I commented, smiling as we walked back into the castle proper to retrieve Riley.

It turned out that the filly was being entertained by Spike, who was recounting several adventures he had been on with great embellishments. I had to smile at that as Twilight rolled her eyes but let him to do it, much to Riley's amusement. She was still all too eager to join Celestia and I as we were given a tour of the castle though.

As I had suspected, Riley had grown up on stories on how great a ruler Celestia was but half of them had been seemingly shattered at actually meeting her the other day. As a result, the filly didn't seem as impressed of the solar princess as she ordinarily would be. Celestia herself actually seemed happy about that and spent a good portion of the tour trying to get on Riley's good side, actually working on something that came to most ponies naturally.

Canterlot castle was impressive in its own way, which was nice when I actually took the time to look around as we got the tour. While it was nowhere near as big as Hogwarts had been, it was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside with the standard rooms one would expect from a castle. Ballroom, kitchen, several dining rooms of varying degrees of splendor, sitting rooms, private wings for guests as well as Celestia and Luna's private chambers on opposite sides of the castle.

It wasn't surprising that Luna was asleep as she had been up all night and part of the morning from the date we had been on and her usual nightly duties. Protecting the dream realm from nightmares and creatures that attacked through said dreams was no easy feat.

"I have to admit, Celestia," I said, walking down another hallway to the meeting, "This isn't a bad castle."

Celestia gave me the usual smile she only gives to me or Luna, an honest one without any motherly overtones to it. "Thank you, Danielle. I'm sure you've seen that it's larger on the inside than it looks on the outside?"

"Would be hard not to notice it, honestly," I smirked as we approached the door to the meeting room, Riley trotting after me as she eagerly looked at everything. I would probably cast an anti-sound bubble on her later so she wouldn't have to worry about what this meeting would do to her fragile psyche.

As we approached the door however the three of us got to it at the same time as some posh looking stallion. His coat was pure white with a perfectly coifed blond mane and tail that went well with the vest he was wearing. Not looking where he was going, he accidentally bumped into me, which was like being hit by a sack of pudding so we were both fine.

The stallion obviously didn't think so as he angrily snapped up to look at me. "Watch where you are going, ruffian!" Non-plussed, I raised an eyebrow as his eyes widened as he turned to Celestia. "Aunt Celestia! Help, there seems to be some rude hairless ape in the castle!"

I rolled my eyes, hearing better insults than that all the time.

"Leave her alone!"

A beam of magic shot out of, surprisingly, Riley's horn and smacked the stallion in the face. It wasn't strong enough to knock him down, but it definitely was stronger than a mere slap to the face.

Still, I was impressed that Riley stood up for me like that.

Celestia looked amused and was no help whatsoever when the stallion glared at Riley and I. "Auntie, this street urchin attacked me! Guards!"

The solar princess sighed and held a foreleg to her face, conveying her annoyance at the situation. "Blueblood, Danielle and Riley here are guests for the day and have my full approval. Not to mention that you started it. Now, the meeting is starting soon and I'm sure you have things to do."

"Is that guy seriously a nephew?" I asked as the stallion gaped at his 'aunt' and walked off, muttering darkly under his breath.

"Not really," said Celestia, sighing again as she opened the door for us. "His ancestors were highly respected for various reasons several hundred years ago and had earned a nobility title. Prince Blueblood is a prince in name only and would inherit the throne if not only myself but Luna and about…ten others all step down at the same time."

I snorted in amusement at that and we walked into the meeting room, which held a large table capable of seating a dozen people. A few different kinds of maps of Equestria were scattered over the walls and several ponies were already inside either talking or examining said maps. Twilight was already there, examining a map while discussing something with a guard.

It didn't take long after Celestia entered the room before everyone realized she was there and, unfortunately, brought everyone's attention on me as well. Sensing danger, Celestia gave her usual motherly smile and stepped in between most of the ponies in the room and I.

"Captain Midnight, is everyone here for the meeting?"

The pony in question was a pure black mare with a light purple mane and tail. Wearing a captain's uniform, it was still clear that she was a bat pony surprisingly, her bat like wings folded against her body and her slitted pupils made her a very intimidating sight. While Midnight's eyes had narrowed slightly at seeing me, she still gave a salute to the princess.

"Ma'am, everyone here is accounted for and we are ready to begin." She had a gruff voice and gave off an air of constantly being on edge, ready at a moment's notice to leap into action and defend what was important to her.

Celestia nodded and joined the others at the table and I was actually surprised by this informal direction the meeting was going. It was not disorganized but I had been expecting something different. "Good," said the solar princess, as she looked at the maps as well, "I called you all here to discuss possible explanations on the various disappearances throughout Equestria. Danielle here has recently met with a few of the possible grunts responsible, if my knowledge is correct, correct?"

Everyone turned to me and I sighed internally, seeing that Celestia had thrown everything at me. "Before anyone says anything else," I said, getting everyone's attention, "I'm an old friend of both Celestia and Luna from well over a thousand years ago. Some of you may recognize my name from the recent war between the griffins and the dragons where I rose to the rank of general." The suspicious looks around me turned to a combination of skpetctial to contemplative and I continued. "I recently became hired by the mayor of Ponyville to act as a guardian against these disappearances and kidnappings. Yesterday, I was exploring the town and a pony by the name of Rainbow Dash alerted me that a family was being attacked and I acted accordingly.

"The aggressors were a pack of three Diamond Dogs while those being attacked was a family of four. A unicorn father, pegasus mother, and the two children were also pegasi. I knocked out one of the dogs right away while Rainbow Dash handled the other. The third dog attempted to make a break for it with one of the children when I used magic to pull them both back, making the dog release the child. My attempts at discovering what was going on was in vain, however, as the dog I interrogated could only tell me something about a mistress he served before a spell activated and claimed his life before he could tell me more. The other two dogs, I believe, were arrested and currently in custody but no one has tried to interrogate them in fear that the same spell would activate."

There was utter silence as everyone in the room digested my story and everyone looked at each other. "Is there a mistress in Diamond Dog culture, Princess Celestia?" Asked one of the ponies in the back. He was wearing an altered suit of armor that while mostly decorative, was still functional and he seemed to be comfortable with the halberd next to him.

Celestia shook her head. "I am not the most knowledgeable in Diamond Dog culture, but I do know enough to state for certainty that they do not have a mistress. At least, their female alphas are not called as such."

"Diamond Dogs have been known to kidnap ponies in the past," said Twilight hesitantly, "my friend Rarity had been kidnaped for less than a day one time."

"It's not rare for a Diamond Dog to capture a pony or two," said Captain Midnight, thinking things over. "But for three to kidnap a family of four…that would be bold of them."

I sighed, thinking hard as well. Looking down when I felt something bump my hand, I could see Riley looking distressed and I smiled as much as I could, running a hand through her mane in an attempt to calm her down. Tapping her head, I used a muffling charm on her so she wouldn't have to hear the rest of the meeting if she didn't want to.

"Is there any pattern on who is being captured?" Asked Celestia.

The same stallion wearing the armor shook his head. "Other than it starting on the west coast and moving east, there is no pattern. Young, old, rich, poor, it doesn't seem to matter other than ponies traveling from one place to another."

"And it would be difficult for a pack of Diamond Dogs to move around so much like that," said Celestia.

"Has anyone thought of a possible third party?" I asked, getting everyone's attention again. "Diamond Dogs are not hard to manipulate and they are, well…not the smartest species in the world."

"I can attest to that," said Twilight, smiling in what was probably an amusing memory.

I nodded to her. "But another party simply using Diamond Dogs, magical enough to put a kill switch on their minions, to capture ponies for something, is a possibility."

Captain Midnight looked contemplative. "Well known documents back up what you are saying…Diamond Dogs are not the brightest. If they are simply taking orders from something or someone new…"

"Then we have no idea what we might be facing," said the stallion. "But nothing good for the pony race as a whole."

"And I worry about what the ponies are being kidnapped for," said Twilight, looking at everyone.

Celestia sighed as she looked at everyone herself. "Too many unknowns, not enough answers. If we do not know anything else…" no one said anything. "Then I believe that this meeting is adjourned. I will call for another meeting when we know anything more concrete."

Everyone nodded, some reluctantly, and started to disperse. Before I could move however, the armored stallion came toward me and I could make out more of his appearance. While not old, he was on the older side and had a white coat with a blue mane. Putting a monocle over his eye now that the meeting was over made him look more distinguished as well.

"I thought I heard your name from somewhere," he said, nodding in greeting toward me. "Are you same Danielle that I've heard? The great warrior of legend overseas?"

"You've heard of me?"

"My dear, of course I have. Unlike many of my colleagues, I try to keep up to date on what goes on in other countries beyond my own. The name is Sir Fancy Pants and I am delighted to finally meet you."

I smiled slightly and nodded to him. "Danielle Potter and a pleasure to meet you. I take it you were knighted if you have the title of Sir?"

Fancy Pants chuckled. "One of the very few knights still around, actually. I don't like to brag or show it off as not many in my circle of friends keeps track of that sort of thing, but I am ready for combat at any time."

It was my turn to chuckle and nod. "Let's hope that your skills are not needed in whatever might be coming, but if so, I would love to have a seasoned warrior at my side."

"Ah, to be flattered again at my age," said Fancy, his smile becoming more genuine. "You honor me and I hope we might cross blades at some point. I just hope my skills have not become too rusty over the years."

"I look forward to a spar at some point. Until then though, I have two princesses and an adopted daughter that need my attention."

Fancy Pants nodded in understanding. "That is something I can understand." He looked behind me and his smile turned more amused. "And it looks like a certain princess is waiting for you so I shall take my leave."

Nodding, I watched as Fancy left and smiled myself as I turned to see Celestia waiting for me with barely contained eagerness. Chuckling, I noticed Riley approach me and I undid the charm on her with barely a wave of the hand.

"We will find out what is going on, Dani," said Celestia, looking down at me from her superior height. "Still, thank you for telling us what you knew."

"I want to find out what is happening just as much as you do, Celestia," I said, looking right into her magenta eyes as I did so. "Now, since I'm here in Canterlot, show me to Shining Armor."

Celestia and, off to the side of the room where she stiffened, Twilight frowned slightly before sighing. "I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

"From everything I've heard, no, you're not."

The large solar princess stared into my eyes for several long moments, looking for any kind of violent or malicious thoughts probably. She finally sighed again. "Follow me."

"What is going on with my brother?" Asked Twilight, looking back and forth between us with a frown on her face.

Celestia grimaced as she turned to her student. "There is something…going on with, Shining Armor. He was…not pleasant, the last I spoke to him and is currently locked into the room he normally stays when he's here."

Twilight looked about to say something angrily when she caught herself just in time and simply started seething, remembering where she was and who she was talking to.

I raised an eyebrow, wondering where this newfound anger was coming from. I hadn't spent too much time with Twilight Sparkle but the young princess hadn't seemed that bad so far. Despite the contradictory stories I had heard about her from Cadence and the other Element Bearers, I decided to base my opinions on her on my own.

I looked at Celestia. "If you could lead me to him?"

The large princess also looked concerned about the spike of anger in her student but nodded and led us out of the room, Twilight following with furious mutterings as she did so.

Riley looked at me in confusion as she looked between me and Twilight with a mystified expression, but didn't bother asking.

Even the guards were looking at us curiously as we passed them, most of them probably remembering Twilight when she lived in the castle and it showed how out of character the lavender pony was acting.

When we finally got to a seemingly ordinary door, Celestia finally stopped and looked at me with a cautious expression. "Are you sure?"

I nodded and with a glow of golden magic from Celestia's horn, the door's lock turned and the door opened.

The room beyond was a normal sized bedroom with the standard furniture one would expect, but most of it was broken almost beyond repair. The only thing in the room not destroyed was the bed, and even then it looked like it had been burnt.

Even Twilight's eyes widened in shock at seeing the state of the room, but I wasn't interested in that. What I was interested in was that there was a rush of magic heading toward us.

"Whoa!" A flash of magic up in a heartbeat and there was a barrier that absorbed the attack, the power thrown into it had caused even me to start in surprise. The shield cracked, but held as I allowed it to vanish, no longer needed.

Celestia took the opportunity as soon as the shield was down and captured the culprit in a field of magic, preventing him from moving or charging his horn in any way. "Shining Armor, you have visitors."

The stallion tried to thrash around but he was being held tightly, unable to move enough to do what he wanted. He finally settled for just growling, his eyes narrowed in hate.

Now having the opportunity to do so, I noticed that he had a white coat with two-toned blue mane and tail. His cutie mark was an emblazoned shield and his time as a captain of the guard showed in his somewhat muscular body. He also must have a lot of magic for him to actually crack one of my shields so I wasn't taking any chances with him.

"So, you're Shining Armor," I said as I approached, touching Riley's back in an attempt to tell her to stay with Celestia. Luckily, it seemed the filly understood the danger and stayed back as I approached the stallion, frowning in thought. "I've heard about you, not much of it I like, to be honest."

Twilight stepped forward as well, her own anger forgotten as she watched her brother in concern. "What's going on with you, Shining?"

Shining Armor growled again.

I sighed and looked at Celestia, who showed no sign of fatigue from maintaining the spell on the stallion. "Celestia, how long has he been like this?"

"Honestly? This is the first time I've seen him this…well, feral."

I frowned again and looked between the two for a moment. "Any magic on him making him act this way?"

Celestia blinked before smiling. "Going to use your special talent on him, Danielle?"

I snorted. "I wouldn't call it a special talent, but yes, I'm thinking of it."

Twilight looked at us now. "What special talent?"

I shrugged as I stepped in front of Shining Armor, who was trying to thrash around again. "Much like how Celestia and Luna have some power over the sun and moon and how Cadence is an empath, my own magic has evolved to almost a full blown telepath. I almost never use that power unless I need to, but I do have the ability to enter one's mind and know their thoughts." I frowned as I looked into Shining Armor's eyes, wondering what I would find in there. "This, however, does seem to be the situation to call for an ability like this."

"You think there is something in his mind causing the problem?" Asked Celestia casually.

"I think that there is something affecting his mind causing this problem," I corrected. "The mind is a many layered and complex thing. I don't know how far deep down I'll have to dig to find what the problem is, but this is something that should, hopefully, be something I can fix."

I paused. "Was Shining Armor ever in contact with anyone that could affect his attitude or personality in any way?"

Celestia and Twilight's eyes both widened and then looked at each other, both wondering the same thing.

"Chrysalis," said Celestia, now looking concerned.

I grimaced. "Celestia…"

"I know," she said, looking pained too, "I know you two were friends. I was friends with her once too, remember? But…She's not Chrissy anymore. Hasn't been for a long time."

Twilight's eyes widened and stared at me. "You two were friends with Queen Chrysalis?"

I winced at the loud volume she asked that and Riley whined slightly. "Chrissy…was a friend, yes. I remember that she was so…happy, optimistic, full of life and ready to take on the world. Changelings weren't that bad, despite being a cursed race, and Chrissy herself was good for bouncing ideas off of. To think she might have done this…I mean, she's capable, of course, but…"

Celestia cleared her throat as I trailed off. "Danielle, Shining Armor?"

"Right, right," I sighed and turned back to the stallion in question. "Okay, let's see what the problem is and how bad it is." Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly and stared into Shining's eyes before pushing my mental probe against his mind.

I didn't expect to find much resistance so I was surprised to find a fairly powerful barrier protecting his mind. It clearly wasn't at full power, but I figured that a shield cutie mark was perfectly apt for a pony with a mind like this. Still, I pushed against the barrier, looking for weak spots, until I found one and narrowed my probe into a point. The probe thrust hard and fast and pierced the barrier, making Shining cry out in pain for a brief moment but I had more important things to worry about.

Snape had nothing on me now as I examined Shining's memories.

Being in someone else's mind is always a weird experience. I felt like I was floating, hovering in an endless abyss with various memories passing by in odd intervals and directions. Taking in a deep breath, I began searching for what I wanted, passing a memory of Shining joining the royal guard and another of him teaching a young Twilight how to fly a kite.

Growing tired of floating, I exerted my own will over Shining Armor's and created a floor to stand on, making it easier to examine everything.

 _'_ _Okay, if Chrissy really did do this…and I really hope she didn't…then invoking thoughts of her should, hopefully, bring her influence to the surface.'_ It was common knowledge that remembering something usually led to remembering something else similar to that, which usually led to remembering more and more as it led to other memories. It wasn't fool proof but it was the best lead I had so I decided to use it.

That thought in mind, I conjured a memory of my own of what Chrysalis used to look like as I didn't know what she might look like now. The Changeling Queen took form near me, from her pure black chitinous armor to her insect like wings.

It seemed to work as the image in Shining Armor's memories sparked various emotions and new memories surfaced. I frowned as most of the memories were cloudy and/or hazy, proving that Shining didn't have a good recollection of the Changeling Queen.

What I was able to make out however was a Changeling Queen that looked very much like Chrysalis changing into Cadence and back again, using some sort of spell that effectively mind-controlled Shining Armor.

Before I could do anything else, a spell shot out of nowhere and hit me in the side before I could dodge. It didn't do much and all it did was knock me back but it was a surprise I hadn't expected.

"What?"

The fake image of the Chrissy I made vanished and a new version of the Changeling Queen appeared to take its place. It wasn't Chrysalis but something I recognized as an imprint, a shade used as a guardian.

The shade looked like Chrysalis but without the features, like it was her shadow but with form. I frowned and got into a fighting position.

"So, Chrissy did do something. Ugh, I'm so giving her a hard time when I next see her." The shade didn't respond verbally, not that it could, as it fired another blast of magic at me in an attempt to prevent me from stopping whatever magic was affecting Shining. Side-stepping away from the magic, I shot my own blast of magic that exploded in front the shade, sending it skidding back.

Time was actually on my side in this battle as imprints only had a set amount of magic they could use before they vanished for good. They were mostly used as deterrents and not very powerful; though that was not counting a Changeling Queen using the spell and they tended to have more magic than a standard unicorn.

Ducking under a flash of green fire sent at me, I charged magic into my hands and slammed them into each other in a loud clap. The sonic pulse disrupted the shade as I slashed it with a wind scythe, making it fade for good as it took too much damage.

Taking a deep breath, I searched for the same magical signature the imprint had been made of and followed it deeper into Shining Armor's mind. Passing by several more memories, I finally found what I was looking for.

A large nexus of memories was in front of me. A large concentration of memories being infected by the same dark green magic the imprint had been made of and I frowned as I studied it. Approaching, I recognized some of this magic and could feel some of the emotions infecting the thoughts and memories. Hatred, anger, jealousy, lust and more to name a few.

All of the memories being infected were those of Cadence and anything associated with her.

Blinking, I stared at it, trying to figure out how it worked. The spell would explain why Shining Armor would abuse Cadence and since Flurry Heart was a part of the love princess, why she was dragged into it. The spell was emitting a certain kind of magical aura that was extremely subtle. If I didn't know what I was looking for, I wouldn't have sensed it so I could see why even Celestia couldn't detect it right away.

"Clever, very clever…"

Only a true telepath or someone with enough skill in mind magic could have made it this far and the only one nearby that somewhat qualified was Luna.

Taking a calming breath, I got to work. Examining the nexus in front of me, I hummed slightly as I slowly started weakening the magic keeping it together, destroying the various focal points that kept it going.

Once it was weakened enough, I got to go through the joy of unweaving the spell, taking apart the magic piece by piece so I didn't shatter it too quickly. This was the tricky part since if it collapsed when it was still too powerful, it risked causing a chain reaction that could destroy half of Shining Armor's memories before I could do anything to stop it.

Dang though, Queen Chrysalis knew what she was doing.

After what I think was fifteen minutes, the spell lost enough power and fell apart completely, releasing the memories from its influence.

Smiling, I noticed the sweat pouring down my face for the first time and figured I had been in here long enough. Focusing, I willed my mental probe out and back into my own body as I felt it more than I saw it.

Gasping for breath, I started panting as I was back in the room of Canterlot Castle with Celestia and Riley next to me, both looking at me in concern. I smiled as much as I could to reassure them I was alright and looked at Shining Armor, who was now sleeping. Twilight was next to him looking both relieved and concerned.

Smiling and petting Riley, who didn't pout this time as she accepted the petting gladly, I looked at the solar princess. "It was Chrysalis, Celestia."

Celestia sighed and nodded, looking relieved that that was over. "I'm glad that you were able to prevent things from getting worse, Danielle. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I haven't had to use that much of the mind arts lately, but I'm fine." I stood up fully and stretched slightly. "The spell on him was more powerful than I thought but he should be feeling a lot more calm when he wakes up. Though whatever guilt he should have felt and couldn't under the spell will probably hit him all at once so be prepared for that."

"He'll be fine though, right?" Asked Riley, not understanding everything going on but enough to get a good picture.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," I answered, giving her a soft but brief hug. "Now, Celestia, I believe that you will be giving us a room for the night."

The large princess looked amused and led us out of the room, leaving Shining and Twilight to sort things out.

"So," said Celestia as she walked us through the hallway, "Your thoughts?"

I sighed as I glanced down at Riley, who was trotting along with her own concerned look. "Do you know who Chrysalis is?"

Riley nodded. "Sort of. She's the evil Changeling Queen that disrupted Princess Cadence's wedding, right? The one who kidnapped her and Twilight?"

I sighed and nodded. "She wasn't always like that but she's…clearly changed over the centuries. Anyway, she apparently used some powerful mental spells to make Shining Armor act abusive toward Cadence and Flurry Heart. If she impersonated Cadence for as long as I think she had, she had more than enough opportunities to do so."

"Why would the spell only have activated recently, then?" Asked Celestia as we passed by a few guards who all looked at me strangely but didn't do anything. "A delayed reaction, perhaps?"

"Most likely," I nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if Chrysalis wanted a back-up plan, just in case." It had not escaped my notice that Riley had stiffened at the word 'abuse' and while I wanted to question her about it, it was still too soon to ask something like that. "Did you notice how angry Twilight was before we entered the room?"

"You think the Changeling Queen did the same to Twilight?" Asked Celestia rather idly, as if thinking that very thing. "Chrysalis did kidnap Twilight a while back, trying to get some revenge on her for ruining her invasion plan at the wedding. Her friends were able to save her and there was no harm done…but now that we know this…"

"It wouldn't hurt to check her out," I commented, thinking. "Cadence said some not nice things about Twilight the last time they had met, so I wouldn't be too surprised."

"Hmm…Well, these are your rooms." Celestia opened the door to reveal probably the best of the best in guest rooms as it was more of a lavish suite complete with comfortable furniture, two different bedrooms, a bathroom and sitting area. It also came with a large balcony that overlooked the city of Canterlot below us that Riley instantly looked out over, tail whipping back and forth excitedly.

I gave Celestia a look, knowing how much such splendor was mostly wasted on me, but the large Alicorn simply gave me a smile. "I'll pick you up at six?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes but nodded, waving her off distractedly. "Yeah, yeah, sure."

Celestia left with a smile and a small hum that I could easily hear with my better than average hearing and I flopped onto the couch with a groan, more tired than I thought I would be. It didn't take long before Riley jumped onto the couch as well and leaned into my side, humming as well.

Smiling, I relaxed and figured a nap wouldn't hurt.

XXXXXX

 **(Third Person)**

Danielle, feeling much better after a nap and ready to take on the night in Canterlot, was breathing deeply and steadily, pumping herself up for this. Luna had woken up about an hour ago and promised to look after Riley for the night, which the young filly was more than agreeable with, surprisingly.

Dressed in jeans, a blouse and a sweatshirt this time, she didn't think Celestia was planning anything too fancy for the night. Even if she was, there was a little thing called magic she could use to change her clothes for the night.

Stepping into the castle foyer, she found she was the first one there as Celestia was hadn't shown up yet. Leaning against the banister of the nearby staircase, she didn't have to wait long before the large Alicorn showed…what the hell…?

"Celestia," Danielle groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

The pony in front of her was a pegasus the same size as Twilight with a pure white coat, a non-shimmering pink mane and tail and a smiling face cutie mark. To one who had known Celestia for centuries, it was obvious who this was.

The mare smiled at her. "My name is Sunny Day Skies, ma'am; not Celestia."

Danielle gave her a deadpanned look and sighed. "Celestia, turn back to normal so we can go."

Celestia pouted but didn't drop the disguise. "Danielle, everyone knows who I am out there. As Sunny Day Skies, we could get at least some privacy."

"And I understand that," said Danielle, her expression softening, "But I agreed to go on a date with Princess Celestia tonight. I did not agree to go on a date with Sunny Day Skies."

Celestia sighed and transformed back to normal, turning back into her six foot six Alicorn self. "I'll attract more attention like this," she reminded her.

"Do you care if anyone knows you're on a date with a human?" Asked Danielle, trying to hide the small amount of hurt she felt.

"Of course not," said Celestia, opening the front door for them with her magic. "I'm just warning you that it will be in the paper tomorrow, bringing attention to you."

"Do you think that I care?" Danielle asked, smiling gently as she approached the large pony. "Celestia, from a young age I knew I was a gay witch who grew up with abusive relatives. I think I can handle a bunch of snooty ponies that have more money than common sense possibly saying some bad things about me."

Celestia gave her a sad look and nodded. "Ponies will have to get used to you being around and us being together especially…did you have to remind me of your past abuse?"

Danielle gave a weak chuckle as they left the castle, making their way into the city itself. "Is that the reason why abuse is one of the harshest crimes a pony can commit in Equestria? Second only to murder?"

The large solar princess sighed but gave Danielle a fond look this time. "Did you expect anything less when you told me about your relatives?" The red head smiled but didn't say anything, simply enjoying the calm early evening around them. She noticed the lone guard in the distance that was trying to stay unnoticed but didn't comment on it, letting them do their job.

"Celestia…before we go any further…" Danielle stopped walking and Celestia stopped as well, looking back at her with concern. Danielle took a breath and continued. "Be honest with me. How much do you still love me?"

The large pony's eyes widened slightly as she approached Danielle, using a foreleg to lift the human's eyes to hers. "Danielle, I never stopped missing you. You gave me what I wanted in a relationship back then, someone who didn't care how powerful I was, a real friendship that wasn't forced, and someone who could love me no matter what. I…I admit, I was the one who screwed up back then, I pushed everyone away, I killed not only our relationship but the sisterly one I had with Luna at the same time. It was all my fault, I know it. But now, you're here and back and I have no intention of ruining things again. I don't care if all of Equestria knows and disapproves, this is for me and Canterlot can put up with it for all I care."

Danielle smiled and grasped Celestia's foreleg with her hand, giving her a comforting look. "Choosing me over Equestria, huh?"

"You know I never wanted to be a princess, Danielle," said Celestia, sighing as they started walking again, the large pony leading the way. She was silent for a long moment before continuing. "I wanted to be a healer. I wanted to fix whatever was wrong with ponies and heal whatever was wrong with them. Then…"

"…Your parents died," finished Danielle softly, giving Celestia an encouraging look. "I know, Celestia. You had to grow up fast, for Luna's sake. You gave up your dreams of being a healer for her and to help protect Equestria from Discord and others. I owe a lot to you, we all do, but you don't have to hold it in anymore. Romantic relationship or not, you can always come to me with anything, you know that."

Celestia smiled and gave her a very un-motherly smile that promised a lot later as they approached their destination a short time later.

The restaurant itself was medium sized and like Celestia had mentioned before, it clearly specialized in mixed species couples. The few other guests were all couples mostly between a pony and a griffin though there was a mare apparently on a date with a minotaur.

"Welcome," said a perky mare, smiling before her eyes widened at seeing Celestia herself walk in. Her eyes widened even more at seeing Danielle but she shook off her surprise quickly and smiled again. "Table for two, your highness?"

Celestia gave her the usual motherly smile she gave everyone and nodded. "That would be perfect."

The mare nodded and led them toward a booth by what was surprisingly a karaoke stage that was currently unoccupied. Giving them both menus, the mare smiled again. "Someone will come around to take your orders in a moment."

"Thank you," said Danielle, nodding with a smile herself, causing the mare to blush slightly before leaving.

Celestia's smile turned a little devious. "Would you believe that she owns this place with her griffin boyfriend?"

Snorting in amusement, Danielle opened the menu, liking how much more causal this place was than the restaurant she had gone to with Cadence. "Not too surprised, honestly. While rare, it's not too hard to find mixed species couples if one knows where to look."

Celestia smiled as she perused her own menu. "How many guards and photographers do you sense now?"

"Counting the one that just entered wearing a bad disguise? Six." Danielle chuckled at the poor attempts to avoid detection from the various reporters and guards around them. One of them being that Captain Midnight mare from before that was at least trying to blend in with a unicorn 'date'.

"So, Celestia, tell me, when is the next summit for the various leaders of the world?"

The solar princess smirked as she leaned back in her seat that was magically expanded to fit her. "Why? Wanting to come with me?"

"I wouldn't mind. Haven't been to one in centuries. Pretty rare to see so many various leaders around the world all gather in one place to discuss things and I didn't see you at the last one I went to about…eight hundred years ago? It was around there."

Celestia frowned in thought before nodding slowly. "There was something going on that year that prevented me from going but I did send a representative. It's hard to keep track of things like this sometimes."

"Tell me about it."

Both smiled at each other when the waiter arrived, a dark feathered griffin. "Welcome ladies, are you ready to order?"

Both looked at each other and smiled as they had barely looked at their menus, but still knew what they wanted. "A large walnut and apple salad," said Celestia, giving him her menu. "And water is fine."

"Salmon and rice for me," said Danielle, giving him her menu as well.

"That comes with either asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes or steamed carrots."

"Asparagus is fine. Oh, and a raspberry lemonade."

The griffin nodded and took her menu as well. "Alright, I'll come back with your drinks as soon as I can."

Right after he left, Danielle flicked her hand and an invisible silencing bubble appeared around them, preventing anyone from hearing anything important.

"Celestia, I've been meaning to ask," said Danielle, giving the solar princess a look from across the table. Celestia turning her full attention onto her, Danielle continued, "Why are you still lying to every pony in Equestria? That stupid rumor that you actually raise and lower the sun?"

Celestia blinked and stared at her. "Dare I ask, how did you figure out I don't actually do so?"

Danielle gave her a deadpanned stare, as if wondering how the large Alicorn sitting across from her could act so stupid. "Tia, you can't move the sun. It is physically and magically impossible, even for you. Every race and species outside of Equestria knows you don't. It's only ponies here in Equestria that believe that you do so."

The large pony stared at her for a moment before chuckling. "In my defense, I never actually told anyone that I do raise the sun. Everyone just assumes and I never corrected them."

Danielle rolled her eyes but let it go, not wanting to get into it. Still the very idea of Celestia, or anyone, being able to move a giant ball of flaming gas trillions of miles away from the planet was so stupid. Yes, Luna could move the moon, but only because it was much smaller and closer than the freaking SUN!

Celestia, Luna and even Discord could rotate the Earth to keep half of it from freezing and the other half from burning, not actually move the Sun. She still had no clue how the Earth lost it's rotational field over the millennia but it resulted in ponies being forced to use magic to save their lives before Celestia and Luna came along.

"Would you like to explain how Nightmare Moon created an eternal night, then," asked Celestia, almost teasingly.

"Solar Eclipse," Danielle answered easily. "Combine that with simply not rotating the planet and we have just enough light to grow crops and make sure we don't freeze to death. It is possible, but a lot more work than it's worth."

Before they could say anything else, their food arrived and they thanked their waiter, starting on their food. Celestia gave the fish on Danielle's plate a look of disdain but didn't say anything. Danielle noticed though.

"Celestia, you knew from day one that I was an omnivore."

"I know," said Celestia, defensively. "I remember perfectly. It has just been a while since…"

Danielle rolled her eyes and took another bite of fish. "I'm not stopping entirely, you know. I'm used to going vegetarian when I'm passing through a pony town or village, but since I want to stay in Equestria permanently, I'm not quitting meat entirely."

Celestia sighed but nodded in understanding. "I know. I knew what I was getting into when I first wanted a relationship with you and I was friends with you before I wanted that."

Danielle smiled. Celestia had always been much more uneasy about the whole eating meat thing than Luna ever had been.

"One thing I wanted to ask," said Danielle, taking a bite of a roll. "Is actually about a certain baby dragon working with Twilight."

Celestia blinked. "Spike? What does he have to do with anything here?"

"Spike's a dragon, Celestia; a baby dragon, but a dragon nonetheless. He needs to be treated as a young dragon and not a colt as I can tell he's long overdue for a growth spurt and hasn't gotten it yet. Heck, he should have wings by now. The only thing I can think is that neither you nor Twilight know anything about raising a young dragon and that's why he's so stunted."

The solar princess bit her lip, taking a long few moments to eat her salad as she thought of what to say. "…Do you remember that treaty? The ones between the ponies and dragons centuries ago?"

Danielle sighed and nodded. "Should have realized it was still effect." The treaty in question was created after the last major battle between the two races in question where the ponies came out victorious, mostly due to the two sisters and she herself. It brought about peace between ponies and dragons, but it also stated that the dragons would have to give up a dragon egg every century to be raised by ponies. The baby dragon hatched from the egg would have to grow up among ponies until they were old enough to finally decide which race they wanted to live with.

The idea was for the ponies to have a dragon loyal to them in case they needed one.

"You still don't like the idea of predator around, do you, Celestia?"

"To be honest, no, I don't," said Celestia tightly. She sighed and slumped a little in her seat. "Don't get me wrong, I love Spike. He's a sweet dragon and all…but dragons are very much predators. At least you as a human don't need to hunt if you do not wish to, but if I were to support Spike in a true dragon life style…well, I don't know how much either he or I could take before he might develop a liking for the hunt."

"Is it really worth stunting his growth because you're afraid of the apex predator he should be?" Danielle fired back, giving her a look. She leaned back in her own seat for a moment. "Celestia, I haven't known him even a fraction of the time you have, but I can tell that he means nothing malicious toward the pony race of Equestria."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "Look, I know of a dragon elder that would love to train Spike in everything he needs to know about being a dragon. He's aware of the treaty and won't go overboard on him in making him a ruthless killer, I doubt that's even possible anyway, but it would help fix Spike's lack of nutrition needed for a dragon his age. I know it has to be his choice, but I'm hoping you won't fight me on this."

Celestia was silent for another few long moments before she gave a large sigh and nodding. "As long as you promise that he won't give up most of his sweet personality and remains himself for the most part, I can accept it."

Danielle nodded with a smile. "I promise. The dragon elder I'm thinking of is actually a purple dragon like him and knows what it's like to be smaller and weaker than others around him and he's always come out on top. He'll know how to train Spike properly; provided that they both agree."

The large pony across from her nodded absentmindedly before smiling slightly. "So, anything new for you personally? Any dates in the last thousand years? Important battles? Other children you've adopted?"

Danielle snorted and smiled again. "When don't I have things like that happen to me? I have a photo album in my bag back in the room showing off the various things and people I've met. Since coming back to Equestria, though, I'm mostly just trying to protect Ponyville from any threats and bond with Riley." Her face fell and she sighed. "I haven't spending enough time with her, honestly. She lost her parents and I want to be there more. We spent some time together yesterday but we were distracted by Applejack and then there was the Diamond Dog attack…damn, I need to reward her for being such a good girl recently."

"I do approve of you spending time with her," said Celestia, giving her a soft smile without any hint of lust this time. "I think you two are good for each other."

Danielle gave her a grateful look but she still felt bad, not believing that she had given Riley enough attention so far. "Thanks, but even I make mistakes with my children, no matter how many I adopt."

Celestia nodded in understanding as their waiter came to collect their plates. "Excuse me, ma'am?" Danielle was surprised that the waiter was talking to her and she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "If you would allow it, one of our managers would like to talk to you for a moment."

Both Danielle and Celestia looked at each other. "I don't see why not," said Danielle, wondering what the manager wanted with her.

The griffin nodded and left, causing both princess and human to glance at each other curiously. "What do you think that's about?" Asked Danielle.

"I have no idea," said Celestia, wondering that herself.

They didn't have to wait long before a middle-aged tawny griffin came out of the back with the hostess, a tan coated mare next to him. The griffin grinned as they made their way over and nodded to them. "Princess Celestia and guest, an honor to see you in our humble place."

"It's a great privilege to serve you here," said the mare as she nodded herself. "My name is Redwood and this is my husband Gild Beak. It's always a pleasure to meet other mixed species couples."

Danielle smiled and gestured toward the seats next to them and the couple sat down, Gild Beak next to her and Redwood beside Celestia. "Nice to meet you too. I can see you worked hard to create such a restaurant."

Gild Beak snorted with amusement. "Redwood and I were…disappointed when we started dating about the lack of places like this and sought to correct that."

Redwood giggled. "Not as easy as he implied, I assure you, but it has been more than worth it."

"I certainly have no problem with it," said Celestia as she levitated some water toward her. "While not common, I have never had any issue with mixed species couples and have approved of several bills promoting it."

"Not to mention that as immortals, we don't care about things like species and gender as much," Danielle added, making Celestia nod in agreement. "Was there anything you specifically wanted to ask about?"

Gild Beak grinned and pulled out a photo. "You're General Danielle, correct? Of the Griffin army? Could…I get your autograph? I'm a big fan of your work."

Danielle blinked but signed the photo of herself in her general uniform with no problem.

Celestia apparently had an idea as she whispered something into Redwood's ear for a few moments and the youngish mare looked surprised, but nodded with a smile. "Excuse me, but I have something to set up quickly."

She left and Danielle looked at the large princess curiously. "What did you ask her?"

"A little surprise that I think you will like," said Celestia with a teasing look, making Danielle roll her eyes.

 _'_ _Trollestia.'_

It didn't take long before the lights dimmed slightly and the lights around the stage brightened. Celestia got out of the booth and made her way over and Danielle's eyes widened.

 _'_ _She wouldn't.'_

Indeed, Celestia cleared her throat and everyone in the building that didn't know that Celestia herself was there instantly fell silent in pure shock. Music started playing and Danielle blinked as she recognized the song the princess was about to sing. An old one that she and Celestia had fallen in love with when she had shared some human music a long time ago.

The music started off slow and soft and when Celestia started singing, it was only slightly louder.

 ** _There'll be no strings to bind your hooves_**

 ** _Not if my love can't bind your heart_**

 ** _And there's no need to take a stand_**

 ** _For it was I who chose to start_**

 ** _I see no need to take me home_**

 ** _I'm old enough to face the dawn._**

Danielle's eyes widened at hearing the song, almost disbelieving that the princess had remembered their song from so long ago. Angel of the Morning was such a good song and it meant so much more with Celestia herself singing it.

 ** _Just call me angel of the morning, (angel)_**

 ** _Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby_**

 ** _Just call me angel of the morning, (angel)_**

 ** _Then slowly turn away from me._**

Everyone in the restaurant was utterly silent as they listened, a mare or two seemed close to happy tears as they leaned into their dates. Celestia had an amazing singing voice, which was shame that she didn't sing very often.

 ** _Maybe the sun's light will be dim_**

 ** _And it won't matter anyhow_**

 ** _If morning's echo says we've sinned_**

 ** _It was what I wanted now_**

 ** _And if we're victims of the night_**

 ** _I won't be blinded by the light_**

Danielle knew that the solar princess wasn't trying to, but there was a golden glow around the large pony, her magical aura showing as she sang the song as the music grew louder. The griffin next to her was giving her an approving look, as if telling her not to let Celestia go.

The lone human of the world gave him a soft smile but hid the uneasiness she felt, unsure of her feelings at the moment.

 ** _Just call me angel of the morning, (angel)_**

 ** _Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby_**

 ** _Just call me angel of the morning, (angel)_**

 ** _Just touch my cheek before you leave me, darling_**

 ** _Just call me angel of the morning, angel_**

 ** _Just touch my cheek before you leave me, darling._**

The music faded and Celestia finally opened her eyes, having closed them shortly before she started. Everyone in the restaurant applauded, some giving her a standing ovation to do so and the solar princess merely nodded with her motherly smile of hers and walked back to Danielle, who was now standing herself. The owners of the place had made themselves scarce.

Needless to say, everyone was shocked when Celestia outright nuzzled Danielle right in front of everyone. In pony culture, Celestia might as well have just kissed her in front of the crowd, staking her claim on her so no one else could.

With the exception of Luna, of course.

Once they had separated, Danielle pulled out enough money to cover their meal and a generous tip, leaving the restaurant. Fully aware they were still being followed by guards and reporters, Danielle flicked her wrist and the two of them were invisible to everyone but each other.

Not saying anything as they walked back to the castle, the silence was slightly awkward and Celestia knew full well that it was her fault. "Danielle…"

Danielle sighed. "Really? Nuzzling me in front of everyone? With reporters and guards watching the whole time? Why don't you just announce our engagement while you're at it?"

Celestia could tell that Danielle wasn't really angry as much as annoyed and slightly worried. The large pony looked almost sheepish as the night became more awkward between them.

The solar princess tried a brave smile. "Did you like my singing at least?"

"Perfect, as always," said Danielle with an eye roll, but she was smiling a little now too. "Infinitely better than your acting, at least."

It was Celestia's turn to roll her eyes. "One thing I'm bad at compared to the many of things I am capable of." Danielle grinned slightly, Celestia's bad acting skills were legendary among them and Luna. "To make it up to you, would you like a ride to the castle?"

Danielle gave her a confused look before it slowly dawned on her what the large pony was indicating. "Really? Now? We haven't done that in millennia."

"I don't mind," said Celestia a little coyly, looking at her expectantly.

Danielle ran a hand through her hair as she thought about what Celestia was asking before finally shrugging. "Fine, I suppose."

Celestia grinned in victory as Danielle effortlessly jumped onto her back sidesaddle, wrapping her fingers around the flowing mane in front of her. "To fly into the sky together again," said Celestia gleefully, not bothered at all by the weight on her back.

"I can fly on my own," Danielle needlessly reminded her, knowing that Celestia was fully aware of that. Standing at six foot six, Celestia, was the only pony in Equestria the size of a true horse and as an Alicorn, was more than able to support the weight of someone twice her size without effort.

Riding on her sidesaddle however prevented Celestia from using one of her wings effectively so she instead reared onto her hind legs for a moment before galloping through the streets, effortlessly weaving in and out of pedestrians and carriages.

Danielle didn't need to hold on very hard as she instead laughed, forgetting how much she missed this. How many girls had always wanted to ride on the back of a unicorn? The redhead's laugh grew louder as they continued, a little sad when they finally arrived at the castle's front doors.

Jumping down and turning them visible again, Danielle turned to Celestia but frowned at seeing the large princess panting, out of breath from the run. "That was fun, Celestia, really, but are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the solar princess slowly regained her breath and stood up fully, looking as perfect as ever. "Just haven't run like that in a while."

"You haven't been exercising much, have you?"

"Well…"

"And this rumor about you and cake?"

"But it tastes so good!"

Danielle rolled her eyes. "You're out of shape." It wasn't a question and Celestia couldn't really argue with it. "So many centuries without Luna and I and you get soft and flabby on us. You're going to start exercising again, aren't you?"

Celestia raised an eyebrow at her, acutely aware that the guards at the front steps could hear everything, but Danielle didn't seem to notice or care. The guards themselves, while surprised that their princess and guest had appeared out of nowhere as the invisibility lifted, were now struggling hard not to laugh as Celestia was being called out like this.

"We'll talk about that in the morning."

Danielle rolled her eyes again. "Of course we will," she said sarcastically. "Good-night, Celestia." She turned on her heel and walked through the front door of the castle as if she owned the place, unaware that Celestia was watching the entire way.

 **I love, love, love Angel of the Morning and you can blame Deadpool for that. Anyway, I'm still debating with myself about Riley's cutie mark; what should it be and how should I present it? If the CMC can get theirs in this season, it shouldn't be that hard to find out Riley's...right? If anyone has any ideas, I could consider it. I think I did the show MLP proud on this one as it had a little action and a lot of fluff, which is what the show is about, honestly.**

 **Did you know that it supposed to the other way around? The show's creator wanted it mostly action stories with some emotion based ones thrown in every now and then. Instead, we got the opposite and I suppose that's why it created such a fandom. Poor Zecora though as she was made much more irrelevant without the action stories.**

 **Yes, by the way, this story will continue throughout season 5 and we will meet Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer and more. I LOVE SUNSET SHIMMER! I don't know why, but I love characters that start off bad and turn good later. I don't hate Starlight, but I never fell in love with her either. Trixie is hilarious and no one can outright hate Discord, but I never felt that much of a connection with Starlight...strange, I know.**

 **Until next time.**


	4. Sun, Moon and Love 4

**Well, here you go, another chapter. This one is a lot shorter than the others, but it does set things up nicely for where the story is going down the road. I think I put enough drama in this for everyone who likes that sort of thing while even putting in some action. I'm also trying to show why Danielle is the way she is and I think I show it well.**

 **Enjoy the chapter.**

It was so relaxing, sitting in the soft grass by the lake at Hogwarts.

Danielle was resting against a tree, looking up at the deep blue sky with a soft smile, relishing in the utter serene environment that she had spent many warm days when she was still a student here. She could almost hear Hermione and Neville debating the pros and cons of magical and non-magical culture, owls and other birds in the trees around them and what even might be the shuffling gait of Hagrid as he moved around the grounds.

It was a perfect recreation.

"I have to admit, it is peaceful."

Danielle blinked to awareness as she looked up and next to her, spotting a navy blue Alicorn resting on a tree branch overlooking the lake. Her wings were tucked next to her as her tail curled around her luxuriously, looking every bit like the princess she really was.

"Did you enjoy the evening with my sister?"

Danielle snorted and smiled, standing with a soft grunt as she looked up at the reclining pony above her. "Same as always, honestly, so I wasn't too surprised. I won't give up any details but it was like most other dates with her."

"Ah," said Luna, nodding in understanding. "Yes, even with us, Celestia was never the best at taking social cues in a private setting."

"And you're any better?"

"Touché, my human friend, touché," said Luna, chuckling slightly as she looked up at the sky above them. "I, however, have the excuse of not needing to learn social cues for a thousand years. My sister has no such luxury."

Danielle snorted in agreement as she leaned against the tree, looking around for a bit as she tried to phrase her next question. "…Do you seriously want to share me with her, Lulu? Honestly and truly?"

Luna's expression didn't fully change but it did waver slightly. "Honestly and truly…? I would have to respond in the negative. However…I love my sister and…you know what makes her happy. Honestly and truly, I would say that for a long lasting relationship, our choices are either with each other, or with Discord as he is the only other immortal."

Luna's look of disgust didn't think much of the idea of her and Discord and Danielle couldn't blame her.

The human took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking around her for a moment. "I hope I'm not keeping you from other dreams, Lulu?"

"Not at all," said Luna, phasing through the tree branches with no effort and landing next to her. "Time moves differently between the dream realm and the world outside. Even so, I do wish I could solve every nightm…bad dream I come across every night."

"Any I should know about?" Danielle decided to ignore Luna's slip of the tongue for now but wanted to come back to that later.

Luna's expression turned amused. "They are the same as always from common fears to enjoying the simple pleasures to fantasies clearly made by teenage colts. Nothing I have not encountered many times before."

"Well…tell me if and when you might need my help, Lulu," said Danielle warmly. "I'm just sorry that I blocked you from finding my dreams all this time. I just…"

She trailed off but Luna simply nuzzled the side of her face and shoulder, showing that she didn't feel any ill will. "I understand."

They hugged and Danielle marveled at how warm Luna was even in a dream. Then again, as Princess of the Night, Luna controlled all in here.

When they separated, Luna gave the dream scape around them an approving look and turned back to Danielle. "Hogwarts, correct?" When Danielle nodded, Luna continued. "I do sometimes wish I could have seen it myself."

"I'm glad you never saw it when I was a student," said Danielle dismissively.

"Because of the humans?" Asked Luna cautiously, knowing what a sore spot the human had about her own kind.

"I'm the only human left in the world, Luna," said Danielle, "You know that. You know why I had to run away from Britain after I defeated Voldemort."

"I know," said Luna softly, looking sympathetic at her.

Danielle started pacing, getting more agitated at the idea of Luna being anywhere near the real Hogwarts or Magical Britain back then. "I saved them. I defeated Voldemort, I stopped the Death Eaters, I sacrificed everything for them, and then they…" Danielle gave an angry snort and sighed, glaring at the nearby lake in frustration.

"Not all humans are as selfish as you make them out to be," said Luna gently, wrapping a wing around Danielle's back comfortingly. "I believe that."

Danielle frowned as she stood there, not moving the wing around her but not embracing it either. "My time at the Dursleys hurt, Lulu. They might not have physically abused me, but…the emotional and verbal abuse more than made up for it. I didn't even know my own name until I was five, right before I started school, you know."

"I know." Luna's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I was bullied at what should have been my home, I was bullied at school for being the odd girl who had to wear her male cousin's old clothes when they were five times too big for me, I was bullied by not only students here at Hogwarts but also by some of the teachers…" Danielle sighed, her pain fully visible in her eyes as she re-lived these memories.

"I had at least three near death experiences in my first year alone, Luna. THREE! I was eleven! How could Dumbledore justify putting an eleven year old girl through such things? I killed a man in self-defense with my bare hands and I had to watch as he died. I get no mental help, no truly comforting words, just a pat on the head, a load of candy and I'm back at my abusive relatives where they locked me in my room with BARS ON MY WINDOWS!"

Danielle was near tears now, getting extremely emotional the longer she dwelled on her past. Her peaceful dream around them changed into a storm, rain and lightning flashing around them. Throughout it all, Luna merely stood there, not fazed at all by the dream storm with not one hair on her mane or tail out of place, simply supporting her long time friend and once girlfriend like an anchor.

"Every year I almost died and I just accepted it. I didn't want to complain, I didn't want to make a scene, I just had to do the teachers and headmaster's jobs and save the school because they couldn't do it or they were part of the problem. I wasn't scared of death because I had nothing to live for back then! I knew I would die at some point and Dumbledore…DUMBLEDORE TRAINED ME THAT WAY! That stupid and manipulating old man planned for me to die and did it so perfectly that he made me trust him!

"I finally, FINALLY, defeat Voldemort and what do I get? News that because I'm the true heiress of the Hallows and united all three, I got partial immortality. I had to run. I had to get away from Britain that had done nothing but abuse and lie to me for years. They told me my parents hadn't left a will. They had. They told me I had to suck up my fame and use it to rebuild the magical world. I told them to shove it. They told me about my responsibility to the ungrateful community they fully planned on sacrificing me to save their own skins while doing nothing themselves, and when I voiced my disapproval of that idea, they threw what I had done in my face."

She turned to Luna, who still looked as calm as ever. "No, Lulu, never meet another human. I truly envy you ponies for your power of friendship and being able to overlook differences to make an entire country. You, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I refuse to let anything truly get in the way of that."

Luna smiled sadly and hugged Danielle again, trying to show through the simple act how much the human meant to her as well.

"You should not blame the human race on things that happened in your past, Danielle. You told me of your old friends, I do not think that Hermione Granger or Neville Longbottom had ever judged you in such a way."

Danielle sighed as she returned the hug, the dream storm dying down around her. "There are very few exceptions to any species, Luna."

It was Luna's turn to sigh as she squeezed Danielle tightly. Every time the Alicorn tried to say something, she shook her head and remained silent, as if she couldn't quite get the words out. They finally separated and Luna looked at the newly calm dreamscape sky again.

"I have other dreams to visit, Dani. Please, know that you can talk to me about anything."

Danielle's smile turned more genuine and less sad. "I said that same thing to Celestia earlier. I promise."

Luna nodded and faded from view, off to the next dream that might need her help.

It had been a very long time since Danielle had helped her police the dream realm and it looked like she would have to wait a bit longer for that honor again.

XXXXXX

Twilight couldn't get any sleep that night.

Laying on the bed in her upgraded room that came with becoming a princess, she stared at the ceiling as she thought of everything that had happened in the last week. More and more, she started realizing that yes, there was some kind of magic on her that was making her irrationally angry and spiteful against Cadence and her brother had been under that same spell longer than her. Combine that with Shining's soon to be coming guilt when he woke up from the magically induced sleep he was in and her family was not going to be happy for the foreseeable future.

Eye twitching in frustration of not being able to sleep and not even Spike to talk to (the young dragon had gone to bed with no issues whatsoever two hours ago) and the young lavender princess was starting to go mad.

It was infuriating. She _knew_ she _should_ be feeling guilty about how she treated Cadence and Flurry, but the magic on her was preventing the emotion from coming. She knew about what Chrysalis had done to her, but couldn't fight it herself and that just made her angrier.

Sighing, she sat up in bed and looked outside the window, seeing that it was past midnight. Thinking about it, she figured that the one thing she really needed at the moment was just someone to talk to and one that wouldn't judge her too harshly.

Frowning, Twilight made a quick plan and levitated a piece of paper and a quill, writing a quick note to Spike and Shining in case they woke up without her and left it where she knew they would find it.

Wasting no more time, Twilight lit up her horn again and teleported out of the room, reappearing a mile away in a room she didn't spend much time in, much to her slight shame. Looking around, the young mare's face turned wistful as she looked at the bed too small for her now, the bookshelves filled with books on various materials too advanced for a young filly and a desk overflowing with notes.

 _'_ _No matter what, I'll never forget this room,'_ thought Twilight thoughtfully as she ran a hoof through the thin layer of dust on everything. She hadn't lived in this room in years, but it had a lot of memories of studying and training her magic.

Hearing soft noises downstairs, Twilight smiled and left the room with a backward glance and looked down the staircase. Her childhood home was so strange to her now in that it looked familiar but different at the same time.

Sure, she had visited once in a while, but she didn't live here anymore and to her private shame, she hadn't actually seen her parents in months. She also hadn't responded to any letters in a long while…she just never had time, it seemed.

The scratching of a quill in the other room stopped and Twilight spotted her mother looking at her from her study, a look of stunned shock on her face. It was gone in an instant however when Twilight Velvet's face beamed and rushed over.

"Twilight! Oh, how good of you to come! It's a bit late, but I'm sure we have something you might like in the kitchen. How are you?"

Twilight winced at the eagerness in her mother's tone but smiled as much as she could. "Hi mom, sorry for not telling you I was coming over, but it was…kind of last second and I needed to talk to someone. I left a note for Shining and Spike, but I should-"

She was cut off when Velvet shook a hoof dismissively. "No need to over explain, sweetie. I'll get some treats and then we can talk all you want. Your father's asleep, but he just came back from a lecture so it's just us, okay?"

"Where did dad give a lecture?" Asked Twilight as her mother levitated a silver tray and a box of cookies from the kitchen, arranging them neatly before putting the box away.

"Canterlot university," said Velvet, placing the tray on the coffee table in the center of the living room and helping herself to a treat. "Now that Princess Luna is back, various stars that had been dimming are now brighter than ever. He's still discovering new constellations we had thought lost centuries ago. Don't worry, I put a silencing spell on the bedroom door so I wouldn't disturb him with my writing."

"A new mystery?" Twilight reluctantly reached for a cookie.

"A sort of mystery and drama combination," said Velvet, relaxing in her seat. "I wanted to try a more dramatic side with the characters this time and I thought a theater house would work very well as a background. But that's not why you're here, is it?" The motherly mare gave her daughter a concerned look. "We don't see you very often so what is bothering you?"

Twilight winced at the accusation but couldn't deny that didn't come around much. "Well, I want to apologize about not coming around more-"

"You're busy and a princess," said Velvet, cutting her off before the apology was fully out. "We understand that you have a lot of responsibilities. Being Princess of Friendship, Element bearer, and Princess Celestia's problem solver isn't easy."

"Thanks, mom," said Twilight, taking a deep breath. "But I wanted to talk about-"

"This isn't about relationship advice, is it?" Cut in Velvet again, looking concerned. "Because friendship is fine and all, but you really shouldn't forget about romance as well. I mean, when he was your age, Shining was already dating Cadence and I'm a little worried that you've never brought a stallion home-"

"MOM!" Whined Twilight, feeling herself blush as her mother kept going on and on. "I'm not dating anyone and I don't plan to yet. I'm not here about romance."

Twilight Velvet looked slightly disappointed about that but nodded. "Okay…?"

Twilight blushed slightly. "Well, there was this stallion a while back…but there was this mare that made me feel almost the same but…agh, that isn't important. I needed to tell you about Shining Armor."

For the next half hour, Twilight told her mother about everything that had happened in the last week, but focusing on what Chrysalis had done to her, Shining and Cadence.

"…I don't know what to do, mom. I know I should be feeling guilty about how I treated Cadence and Flurry, but the curse is blocking that emotion and then there's what happened to Shining. Just seeing him so…feral and knowing that the same thing could happen to me and I'm wondering if I even want him to get back together with Cadence and the fact I both care and hate my niece at the same time and…I'm so confused!"

Various emotions had crossed Velvet's face as Twilight continued but didn't say anything as she let her daughter rant. It was something she had learned a long time ago that the best thing to do was to just let Twilight run out of steam before trying to say anything.

After a long moment, Velvet finally sighed. "Well…There's a lot going on I wasn't aware of, apparently." She studied her daughter for another few long moments before continuing. "First, I did know that Shining and Cadence weren't perfect for each other."

"What? How?"

"A mother just knows these things, dear," said Velvet, smiling slightly as she helped herself to another cookie. "Cadence is such a dear and I did truly hope that she and your brother would work out…when they had a daughter, I had hoped…well…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Shining is ambitious, dear. Something I knew from when he was a young colt. He always wanted to be captain of the royal guard and tested as one of the best of his year, but…and I'm just guessing here, but I don't know if it was a coincidence that he chose to befriend a young princess in high school."

Twilight stared at her mother, shocked. "You think Shining befriended Cadence back then, just to…"

"I don't know, sweetie," said Velvet, shaking her head. "That is only something he can answer. I won't deny that the two had chemistry, but, well…Princess Cadence had a lot of suiters and fans back then and one of the safest things to do would be in a relationship. Who better than, from what I hear, was her only male friend?"

Twilight opened her mouth, closed it, and tried again. "But…their love beat Chrysalis and the Changelings, right? Their magic united blasted them out of Canterlot."

Velvet nodded almost absentmindedly as she looked out the window, still dark with no chance of getting light for another few hours. "Was it their love or their magic that beat the Changelings?"

Again, Twilight wanted to say it was both, but closed her mouth before she could say anything, honestly not knowing the answer. She had studied magic and friendship for most of her life, and even she didn't know everything about the nature of magic and even less on love.

Velvet took the opportunity to continue when it looked like Twilight was speechless. "As for this curse Chrysalis put on you and Shining…the only thing I can tell you is get it removed and then apologize to Cadence. I doubt your friendship will be healed right away, but take it one day at a time and show how sorry you are every time you are together."

She gave Twilight a look. "Don't do anything about Cadence and Shining's relationship, either, Twilight. Don't try and force them back together. Their relationship is between them and only them. Let them handle it without interference." She then shrugged and smiled. "They will always be family to me, of course."

Twilight swallowed, her throat feeling uncomfortably tight as she bowed her head. She wasn't sure what she was feeling but knew she would probably feel a lot worse once this stupid curse was removed and all of her guilt hit her all at once. "I…I want to cry…but I can't feel bad about what I said…and that makes me want to cry more."

"Oh, sweetie," said Velvet as she moved closer and pulled Twilight into a hug. The two mares simply sat on the large couch, one comforting the other who was struggling to feel to what she logically knew she should, but couldn't at the moment.

Finally separating, Velvet smiled slightly. "So, who was this stallion and mare that you might have feelings for?"

Her tactic worked as Twilight's face burned, trying hard not look at her mother. "Uh…Do I have to answer…?"

"You don't have to," said Velvet with a bit of melodrama. "But I would like to know who my daughter might like."

Twilight swallowed before she sighed in defeat. "Okay…the stallion's name is Flash Sentry. He's a guard at the Crystal Empire and he's…handsome, alright?"

"Just handsome?"

"I…well, I didn't have a lot of time to talk to him and I'm hardly ever in the Crystal Empire so we didn't have a lot of time to get to know each other," Twilight admitted. She did have a small crush on Flash Sentry, but they didn't know anything about the other and dating was very low on her priority list at the moment.

"And the mare?"

Twilight stiffened, unsure of how much she could explain. She finally sighed and looked awkward. "She's…interesting, to say the least. She…we had a bit of an altercation-"

"Altercation?"

"Okay! We fought and I needed the help of the Elements of Harmony to beat her!" Twilight exclaimed, annoyed by the subject. "She needed help and I gave it to her. She just looked so…broken after I hit her with the Elements and left her with new friends, making them promise to look out for her. When I saw her again, she had changed so much. She was actually scared of doing anything to upset anyone, she stayed in the background showing support, but refused to involve herself in arguments in case she made the situation worse."

Twilight stopped and swallowed, remembering the night she had talked to her. "I was trying to help with another trio of villains and she…gave me a pep talk that really helped. There was…something between us and we do have a lot in common, even if she was the bad girl to my good girl."

"Sounds like someone special," Velvet mentioned slyly.

"I…She was Princess Celestia's student before me, Sunset Shimmer. I won't lie, she did bully me when we first met, even stealing the Element of Magic, but seeing how far she's come…how we wouldn't have been able to save the day without her…"

Twilight paused as she thought about Sunset Shimmer in the human world. The girl was just as fiery as her hair and had needed an attitude adjustment, but once the former bully had calmed down, become more outgoing and opened up to her, she had seen a lonely soul that needed someone to care about her.

Come to think of it, she didn't know anything about Sunset's life before she jumped into the human world. What were her parents like? Did she even have parents? Did they miss her? Probably not if Sunset would rather spend time in another universe than be with family and that was something Twilight wanted to know more about.

"I think she had a bad home life, if she refused to come home with me," said Twilight slowly, not wanting to give away anything. "If so…" Twilight smiled slightly, "…she has my respect for not letting it get to her."

Velvet hummed slightly as she let her daughter work her love life out, honestly finding this illuminating and entertaining. She trusted her to make the right choice in the end. Twilight had always been more mature than most her age and didn't think Twilight would make the wrong choice.

In general, ponies had never cared much about gender when it came to relationships. True, there were a few groups that supported only male/female couples, but they were a tiny minority in a society that had never cared. Ponyville, as a mostly mare dominate town, had more than a few lesbian couples and were more or less open about their relationships.

Canterlot was very much the same so Velvet had no issues if her daughter would prefer to be with a mare rather than a stallion or vice-versa. It was entirely her choice and she would support Twilight in any relationship she might choose.

Feeling much better about everything, Twilight and her mother talked about several other inconsequential topics before they were finally tired enough to sleep. Twilight passed out on the couch and slept until morning with no problem.

XXXXXX

When Danielle woke up in the fancy bed Celestia had given her, she wasn't surprised to see Riley gently snoozing on the bed with her. Smiling, Danielle noticed that while they were not touching, the little filly was close as her little fore hooves were inches away from her.

Not surprising as Riley had gone through multiple changes to her life in a relatively short amount of time, making it amazing that she was adjusting as well as she was. Danielle guessed that the filly hadn't wanted to spend all night in yet another strange bed in a strange place among those she didn't know.

Strengthening her resolve to get that train set for Riley that she had thought of the previous day, she snuck out of bed and started a shower, needing one after the last day and night.

She remembered her dream conversation with Luna very well and sighed, knowing that she would need a few more talks with her and Celestia about that. Not to mention that she wasn't sure if the two sisters were aware of her change of status to her immortality.

Drying off and getting changed, she opened the door to find Riley waiting for her with an uncomfortable expression. She didn't have time to even give her a good morning before the filly rushed into the bathroom, making Danielle chuckle at the cute sight.

Putting her shoes on, she smiled as Riley came out of the bathroom, looking much better and cleaner than she had before.

"Riley," The filly turned to face her and she continued, "Before we go downstairs, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you." Riley blinked in shock but didn't say anything, stunned silent. "You've handled a lot of rapid changes around you extremely well and I know I haven't been around as much as I should have, so I was thinking of exploring Canterlot together. What do you say?"

Riley opened her mouth a few times before she finally settled on nodding, giving her guardian a sort of watery smile. Danielle opened her arms and Riley allowed the human's arms to wrap her in a tight but gentle hug.

The human not mentioning the soft tears on her shirt from the filly, Danielle calmly helped Riley compose herself and left for breakfast, knowing that Celestia and Luna were waiting for them.

Finding the informal dining room wasn't hard as some guards led the way there and found the two Alicorn princesses already there. Celestia looked as cheerful and perfect as ever while Luna had bags under her eyes, not talking as she drank her tea.

Chuckling, Danielle ran a hand through Luna's mane and the princess of the night gave her a tired smile before she sat down herself, Riley next to her.

"Danielle," said Celestia, her tone the same as ever, "How was your night?"

"Fine."

Celestia nodded. "Do you have any plans today or are you going back to Ponyville?"

"I was thinking of shopping for a few things and going back to Ponyville," said Danielle, helping herself to some of the food on the table. "I was also going to help Twilight with that…issue of hers. Oh, hang on." She reached out her hand after a moment and a hand mirror came zooming in from out of the room, being summoned from her bag. "Cadence."

Celestia raised an eyebrow as the mirror changed to show Cadence's reflection. Though, Flurry was currently in the shot as well as she was on top of her mother's head, giggling. "Danielle," said the princess of love, looking a bit embarrassed at the predicament she was in, "Good to see you. Anything wrong?"

Danielle was glad she had left the mirror with Cadence and told her how to work it. "Everything's fine, Cadence. But…well, I met up with Shining Armor yesterday-"

"What!"

"And found that he had some pretty serious mind magic messing him up," Danielle finished, not taken aback at all from Cadence's outburst. She then sighed sadly. "It was Chrysalis. She had used magic to alter Shining's mind, making him more violent toward you and anything associated with you."

Cadence and Flurry were silent, taking that in as they looked at each other, silently debating what they wanted to do with that information. Cadence turned back to Danielle. "This magic on him…it's gone?"

"I can confirm that it is," said Luna surprisingly, still looking exhausted from working all night. She yawned and continued. "His nightm…bad dreams were a testament to that."

Celestia gave Luna an odd look that the younger sister ignored completely, going back to sulk into her tea.

"And Twilight?" Asked Cadence.

"I'm checking her later today, but we believe that Chrysalis got to her too," said Danielle.

"Twilight had been captured by her a while ago," Cadence mused before she shook herself. "Were you just giving me an update…or…"

"I'm suggesting that if you want to talk to Shining Armor, it should be safe to do so now," said Danielle, shrugging.

Cadence and Flurry again looked at each other, the filly looked fearful but the adult mare appeared determined. "Today or tomorrow," said Cadence with steel in her voice before she cut the connection, the mirror reflecting Danielle again.

"That should be one problem solved soon," said Celestia, sighing as she leaned into her chair, taking another bite of her pancake.

Danielle nodded, glancing at Riley who was looking concerned as well, but hid it much better than the solar princess. She turned back to Celestia again. "Have you told Cadence, Celestia? About who she is?"

Celestia paused, her fork floating in the air and even Luna gave her a curious look, obviously not knowing what Danielle was talking about. Celestia put her fork down and gave Danielle a careful look. "Are you insinuating that I know about Cadence's ancestors?"

Danielle gave another nod. "She needs to know, if you haven't told her already. She is the true heiress of the Crystal Empire's throne, Celestia. She looks almost exactly like Queen Jade."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Riley, feeling lost in all of this.

The two Alicorns and one human turned to the filly. "Queen Jade was the last great ruler of the Crystal Empire to the north," said Danielle. "Sombra overthrew her and took over, but Jade had had a family. It was rumored that Sombra had killed said family, but one or two might have escaped his tyranny and fled south. We were never able to find out if said rumors were true, unfortunately."

"I found Cadence abandoned and alone," said Celestia, taking over the story now. "She was a young filly at the time and…she looked so much like Queen Jade, that I suspected the rumors had been true. Cadence didn't remember anything of her past when she was found and I was never able to find her parents, much of the reasons why I took her in as my student. She flew through her lessons and passed the tests needed to ascend to Alicornhood quickly. I still don't know if she is the descendent of Queen Jade or not…"

She trailed off and no one said anything. Until Luna started snoring in her chair and broke the tension in the room effectively.

Giving a soft sigh, Celestia smiled and levitated the younger sister back to her chambers for the day while Danielle and Riley finished their breakfast in comfortable silence. When they were done, they made their way to the entrance hall at the same time Celestia did from the opposite end.

"Going out to enjoy your day?" Asked Celestia, smiling at them both. "Enjoy Canterlot as much as you can." Riley stared as Celestia took a moment to nuzzle Danielle, which the human took as well as could be expected. "I'll see you soon."

"Expecting it, Celestia," said Danielle as they separated, leaving the castle with Riley trotting next to her.

Once they were out of earshot from the princess, Riley looked at her guardian. "Princess Celestia too?"

"Just like with Princess Luna," Danielle confirmed, shaking her head in bemusement. "I still wonder why she chose me to pursue, honestly."

"A mare can be with more than one mare?" Asked Riley, curious.

Danielle shook her head at the conversation she would have to have now, mentally cursing Celestia for putting her into this situation. "It's not common, but it's not against any laws for someone to be with more than one other. Horses and ponies actually used to have what were called herds, or one central person with several others romantically. Usually, it's one stallion and several mares, but herds have come in several shapes and sizes over the centuries."

That was true even before ponies became sentient, back when she was still in Hogwarts.

"I seriously doubt it," said Danielle, looking down at Riley with a smile, "but I have to ask if you had or have a crush on anyone, Riley?"

Riley blushed but shook her head. "No, never did."

"Good," Danielle muttered, confident that she wouldn't have to torture anyone anytime soon.

As they walked through Canterlot, Danielle raised an eyebrow at the locals walking around and enjoying their day. As she had suspected, Canterlot was mostly filled with wealthy assholes and they were the ones leaning away from her like she had the plague, but there were several upper middle class citizens as well and were by far more polite. While the streets weren't extremely busy, there were still a sizable number of ponies walking around and they either looked at her with fear, disgust or curiosity.

The day between Danielle and Riley turned out to be a success as they walked around, taking in the sights. As she had promised, Danielle had taken Riley to a toy store and was able to find a perfect replica of the Friendship Express, the name of the train they had ridden here, as well as enough track for it. Riley hugged Danielle tightly for it, thanking her profusely when the human told her she could help set it up.

Having lunch in town at a nice cafe, more and more of the ponies staring at her started ignoring her, which she very much appreciated. As they finished their lunch, they both heard Twilight greeting them as she sat down at their table, making it seem like they were meeting her there.

"Sorry for interrupting, you two, but I needed to talk to you and didn't know how else to approach you," said Twilight, looking harassed and disheveled.

"Feeling okay, Twilight?" Asked Danielle, raising an eyebrow at how frazzled the mare looked.

"Felt better, honestly," said Twilight. "I've been dealing with Shining all morning and it's not pretty. Thank you for helping him, but all the guilt he should have been feeling hit him hard and he's still sobbing his heart out. My parents are helping him now, but it'll probably take a while before he's okay again."

"Good to know he's getting help," said Danielle, nodding, knowing that he would take it hard once the spell was gone. "I take it that you…"

"I want this curse gone," said Twilight, nodding with a steely determination. "As soon as possible."

"At least you admit when you have a problem," Danielle almost teased, smiling grimly a moment later. "Now?"

"Now."

With a look at Riley, who nodded with some concern, Danielle looked back to Twilight and focused her mental probe again. The probe examined Twilight's natural mental shields and Danielle could tell that while they would be powerful if they were active, Twilight had willingly lowered them for her.

Danielle had had to force her way into Shining's mind the day before but since Twilight was so willing, all she had to do was gently push until she was inside Twilight's mind.

Opening her eyes, Danielle found a much more orderly version of the expanse of memories inside Twilight's mind than Shining's. The mare had one of the most uncluttered minds she had ever been in, everything being in its proper place and she had to nod. This was the mind of someone who had spent most of their lives organizing and reorganizing things until they were perfect.

Still though, Danielle could tell that most of the memories, while perfect in clarity, seemed a little too perfect. Like it was one big push away from total anarchy, like Twilight was extremely high-strung and something large would ruin everything.

Shaking her head, Danielle began the process she had used with Shining and, after creating a floor to stand on, conjured an image of the Changeling Queen to drive her influence to the surface.

Danielle didn't waste time when not just one but two Chrysalis shades appeared and started battling right away. Ducking under a beam of pure magic, Danielle caught the horn firing the beam and aimed it at the other shade, knocking it back with a muffled grunt. Spinning around, Danielle flung herself onto one of the shade's backs and drove a magical blade through its neck, killing it effectively as it took too much damage to reform.

The other shade didn't take much more effort than that as Danielle launched it into the 'air' before drop-kicking it straight down, making it crash into the floor under them. Seeing the other shade fade into nothingness, Danielle snorted in satisfaction and made her way deeper into Twilight's mind, following the shade's magical aura.

She had to dispatch another shade on the way but finally found the nexus of magic affecting Twilight's memories and thoughts, identical to the one Shining had suffered through. A quick check and she saw that it worked exactly the same as the last one and she got to work right away, weakening it before taking it apart piece by piece before it shattered altogether.

Panting in exertion, she was about to leave when a stray memory caught her attention and saw that it was of her, surprisingly, and how she had defeated Quirrell back in her first year at Hogwarts.

Danielle frowned in confusion, wondering where in Equestria that memory came from and why Twilight would have it of all ponies. Deciding not to search for the answer in Twilight's mind and just ask her, she willed herself out of Twilight's mind and back to her own body.

The human blinked as she appeared back in Canterlot, sitting next to Riley and Twilight with the remnants of their lunch. Glancing at Twilight, Danielle saw that the mare had a stronger constitution than her brother as the young Alicorn was still conscious and looked ready to sob, eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Twi-"

That was far as Danielle could get before the mare started crying fully, hugging both the human in front of her and Riley in her forelegs. Riley looked extremely uncomfortable at being hugged so closely but bore it as well as she could while Danielle could only pat Twilight's back awkwardly.

"There, there?"

"I…I…t, thank you!" Hiccuped Twilight, her eyes dim as the full weight of her actions hit her all at once. "It's…It's gone! I can…feel everything again and…" She howled in sobs and broke down, leaning on Danielle heavily as she cried.

Danielle sighed with a sad smile and wrapped an arm around Twilight, allowing the mare to use her as a rock for her emotional storm. Riley just sat in her seat awkwardly, unsure of what to do as the full grown mare next to her cried.

"Well…" said Danielle as Twilight started calming down after several minutes. "If you're feeling better…?"

Twilight finally seemed to come back to the world around her and her eyes widened at seeing the position she was in. She quickly pulled away with a blush on her face. "I…thankyouI'mgoingtogobye!"

She then teleported out before Danielle or Riley could say anything and they both looked at each other in confusion. "That was weird," said the filly, staring at where Twilight had been a moment ago. "She feels better, right?"

"She's probably just embarrassed," said Danielle, shrugging as she got their things together before standing. "We'll see her again when she's up to talking more." She also wanted to know why a memory of HER past was doing in Twilight's head. "Want ice cream?"

Riley nodded with an eager expression and they both headed off in search of the dairy treat.

XXXXXX

It had taken a few hours to calm herself down, along with some motherly help from Twilight Velvet, but the princess of friendship had finally recovered from her pity party and was out and about again.

Twilight gave a soft smile at the thought of it. Her parents and Spike doing their best to cheer her up now that the spell was broken, allowing her to feel bad for her actions against Cadence. She was also mentally thinking of things to do to Chrysalis the next time she showed up again. Blasting her into the next county was really too good for the Changeling Queen in her opinion.

With her parents and Spike continuing to help Shining, who was still in mourning in his room and refusing to come out until he could die in a ditch somewhere, Twilight decided to pursue her latest research project. She needed to distract herself from the thoughts of Cadence bursting through the ceiling to reap her vengeance on her somehow, after all.

Walking into the Canterlot library, a place she had spent a lot of time in as a filly, she gave the librarian a nod and headed for the right section. Reaching the right place, she started searching the shelves, looking for the right book that would hopefully give her some information.

Finding it after a frustrating fifteen minutes, she pulled the heavy book on updated family histories of Canterlot from the shelf and levitated it to a nearby table. Flipping through the pages, she finally found the name she was looking for.

Sunset Shimmer.

She was half surprised that her records were even in the public display and not in Princess Celestia's private library in the castle, actually. Frowning, she started reading, getting a better picture of the part time unicorn/part time human's past.

The records showed that her parents were a mare named Morning Sunrise and her husband Blaze. Both were nobles in Celestia's court and upper class, though judging by the scores in the documents, the parents weren't that powerful magically. Sunset however had apparently tested very well in Celestia's school for gifted unicorns and the solar princess herself took an interest in her. School records showed that Sunset had a passion for learning and constantly winning in various magical contests, the best in whatever class she was in.

Twilight frowned again, thinking. The book showed that Sunset was older than her by a few years and would have been Celestia's student around the time Cadence had ascended to Alicornhood. If the documents were accurate that Sunset had a drive to be the best, combined with possible jealousy of the princess of love, it was conceivable that that was what drove Sunset's fight with Celestia.

She could imagine it now. A self-entitled unicorn demanding to be made a princess and then furiously storming out of the room when denied. Still, that didn't seem like the entire story. The book didn't say anything about Morning Sunrise and Blaze personally so Twilight couldn't discern anything about their personalities.

Sunset hadn't said anything about her parents the two times Twilight had met her and didn't seem sad at all about staying in the human world. Either the pony turned human was colder than Twilight imagined, or the parents honestly didn't care.

Twilight had never heard anything in the news or by word of mouth about a missing unicorn of Sunset's age and description. Her own parents knew enough ponies in town that they definitely would have heard if Sunset had gone missing.

Did Princess Celestia cover up the disappearance? Possible, if she was honest with herself.

No, something wasn't right here and she wanted answers about her sort of friend/sort of enemy. Mentally calculating when Sunset would have jumped into the human world, Twilight got up from her chair and started going through newspapers of around that time, wondering if she would find something there.

Half an hour later and Twilight finally gave up on that route. There had been nothing about a missing pony that matched Sunset's appearance at all in the papers. There hadn't even been a mention that Celestia's student had vanished. Though she did note that her own apprenticeship to Celestia started a mere six weeks after Sunset vanished.

Twilight leaned back in her chair, sighing as she thought of everything. Sunset had been Celestia's personal student about five years before she vanished, which would have made the mare about sixteen at the time. Roughly nine or ten years later, Nightmare Moon escaped from the moon and the Elements of Harmony were needed once more. Sunset Shimmer was extremely good at magic, despite having a certain lust for power and a drive to learn. It was more than possible that Celestia had been hoping that Sunset would be the Element of Magic and unite the others.

But, Celestia had underestimated how much of an ego Sunset had had and couldn't stop the mare from going through a mirror into the human world, meaning the solar princess would need a backup plan, which was her.

Twilight sighed again as she stared at the ceiling for a bit, thinking. She wouldn't get any more answers unless she got them from either Princess Celestia, Sunset, or Sunset's parents. Glancing down at the file on Sunset's parents, she saw the address and she mentally shrugged, writing it down on a spare scrap of paper from her saddle bag. A quick trip later to meet the mare's parents wasn't out of the question while she was here in Canterlot before she had to go back home to Ponyville.

XXXXXX

"Uh…Mistress? We have news to tell you-"

"A group of four Dogs not only failed to get me new slaves, but one triggered the curse that killed him if he was about to talk."

"Uh…yes, that's right."

"FOOLS! DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULDN'T KNOW THAT ALREADY?" There was some furious mutterings before the silence was broken again. "First the wraith-like demon was destroyed, then a small group of Dogs captured in Ponyville…is that gnat really in the area? Send in spies to Ponyville and alert me if a tall hairless ape is there."

"Of course, Mistress."

XXXXXX

On their way back to their room, Danielle and Riley took a route that allowed them to pass the training yard for the Royal Guard. Curious, Danielle glanced over and could tell that while some of the guards looked more than ready for combat, the others had horrible stances with their various weapons. Rolling her eyes, she and Riley kept going when her eyes widened slightly, her hand flaring magic as a spear bounced off a magical shield inches away from Riley.

Riley's eyes widened as she instantly hid behind Danielle, shaking fearfully from almost getting impaled by a spear. Danielle growled as she picked up the offending weapon and glared at the training yard, everyone watching in fear of what had almost happened.

"Alright, who threw this?" Demanded Danielle as she held the spear above her for all to see, her eyes glaring in fury. If her shield hadn't gone up the moment it had, she would have a very badly injured adopted daughter at the moment.

None of the guards dared speak up as many of them swallowed, everyone looking terrified of Celestia's guest.

Growling, Danielle jumped the low wall separating her from the training yard with no effort and pointed at the nearest guard without a weapon. "You! Congratulations, you're going to be helping me demonstrate the proper usage of this thing." She tossed the spear toward him and he caught it in his magic with barely a struggle. Danielle then conjured her own spear exactly the same as his and made a 'bring it' motion. "Show me what you can do with that thing." When the guard hesitated, she growled again. "NOW!"

Fumbling his magic for a moment, he regained control of the spear in his magical grip and jabbed the pointy end at her stomach. It was like she was seeing it in slow motion however and Danielle wasted no time in dodging to the side and used the non-pointy end to slap his spear out of his grip and smacked him in the side. It made him grunt and drop the spear entirely, moving his hoof to cover where what would be a bruise forming.

Danielle levitated the spear back toward him, her expression unforgiving. "Again!"

Her tone so cold that the poor guard didn't have a choice, he lifted the spear again and came at her with a different strategy this time, aiming for her face at an angle at a faster speed than before.

This time, Danielle had a slight smile on her face as she still was able to use her own spear to parry the other one, then moving her spear in a way that it hooked behind his back legs and swept him off his hooves, causing him to flip onto his back with a pained grunt.

Danielle tossed him the spear again and waited for him to get all four hooves under him once more, "Again."

Riley and the other guards watched in awe as for the next half hour, Danielle trained this new recruit in how to use a spear so it didn't end up flying across the training field. Many of the more seasoned guards were nodding in appreciation at the form Danielle was using while a few were taking notes as they got ideas of new moves.

They only stopped when the guard looked ready to pass out from exhaustion and a gruff voice got their attention as his spear hit the ground again. "Private! Hit the showers!"

Everyone turned to see Captain Midnight, the bat pony mare that apparently took Shining's place, approach with a frown on her face. The guard was too tired to argue and left, all eyes on him as he walked away toward the barracks.

Captain Midnight turned to Danielle and both of their eyes narrowed as they studied each other. Both of them were tense, both ready for combat as they stared each other down at the same time.

As the tension in the air grew between them, both reacted to some cue only they seemed to be aware of as they flew at each other. Midnight's bat wing glowed and struck out at the same time Danielle's glowing arm met it, both matching the other's as neither backed down. Midnight flipped backward and her back legs almost bucked Danielle in the stomach if the human hadn't dodged to the side and grabbed her back left leg. The redheaded human threw the mare in her grasp to the opposite side of the training yard, but Midnight recovered beautifully and used the momentum to turn around in a u-turn to come at Danielle again.

Both met with equal power as Danielle stopped her momentum with only a slight wince and being pushed back a few inches from the force. Midnight opened her mouth and a high pitched cry made everyone sink to their knees, showing everyone what powerful echolocation mixed with magic was capable of.

Danielle winced at the use of one of the bat pony's unique moves as her enhanced hearing and proximity caused her to suffer more than anyone else from the sonic attack. Needing to finish this quickly, Danielle blindly managed to grab Midnight by the tail and threw her straight up, causing the bat pony captain to waste precious seconds straightening herself out. That was all the time Danielle needed to reappear above her, moving too fast for the pony eye to follow, and drop kicked the mare straight down.

Captain Midnight showed how graceful she was at flying however and managed to extend her wings just in time to tumble at an angle instead of crashing straight down. Still, the force of her fall would surely cause some bruises and mess her fur up more than it already was. Coming to a stop from her fall, Midnight grunted as she slowly stood up on all fours, panting as the human landed near her, looking slightly ruffled herself but not looking tired at all.

The bat pony tensed when Danielle approached but blinked when Danielle simply extended her hand calmly, smiling at her with a slight smirk. "Good spar?"

Midnight blinked at the words before smirking herself and extended her foreleg, shaking her hand. "Good spar. You are a true warrior."

"You had a good teacher yourself," said Danielle easily as she pulled her hand back. "I've trained for a few thousand years but I've never battled too many bat ponies. Or do you prefer thestrals?"

Captain Midnight's mouth quirked a little at hearing the true name of her race, not just 'bat pony' that everyone used. It wasn't like her race was just an odd variant of the common pegasus, it had a rich and colorful history that no outsider was ever interested in.

"I prefer thestral," said Midnight quietly so only the two of them could hear and Danielle nodded in understanding, smiling back at her.

"I believe I've taken enough of your time this afternoon," said Danielle as she turned and hopped the low wall to Riley without any effort whatsoever. "I'll be back eventually."

Danielle and Riley left the courtyard, the filly trotting after her happily as she did so.

Captain Midnight could sense rather than see that Sir Fancy Pants had seen more than enough of the spars to get a good idea of what was going on. Turning to the other guards, she extended her wings to make herself seem bigger than she was. "What are you doing staring at me? Get back to sparing!"

Hurriedly getting back to what they had been doing before Danielle and Riley got there, the thestral captain smirked to herself as she supervised.

XXXXXX

Twilight breathed in and out slowly as she approached the Canterlot house the address led her to. The house in question was not quite a mansion but it was far larger than any residence in Ponyville would be and was clearly upper class, showing that the occupants had money and a lot of it. If she was right about this meeting, then it wouldn't last for very long but she still wanted to be sure of her suspicions.

Squaring her shoulders, she nodded to herself and rang the doorbell, wondering who would answer the door or if the occupants would even answer. She got her answer to that latest question when the door opened to reveal a unicorn mare about her mother's age with a pure scarlet coat and a golden mane and tail.

The mare, who Twilight guessed was Morning Sunrise, looked down at her from her position and the princess could tell she was being judged. "Yes?"

Twilight smiled as much as she could and nodded to her. "Hello, are you Morning Sunrise?"

"I am."

Twilight waited for a moment to see if the mare would elaborate on that or invite her in but when she did neither, the lavender mare decided to continue. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I was wondering if you had heard of a Sunset Shimmer recently?"

A look of confusion passed over Morning Sunrise's face before some small recognition hit her. "Oh…yes, I remember. I haven't seen her recently."

Twilight blinked at that answer, wondering if she had heard that correctly. Before she could ask anything else, a tan unicorn stallion with a shocking scarlet mane and tail came out from behind Morning Sunrise. "Princess," he said, "Anything we can do for you?"

"She was asking about…" The unicorn mare frowned in thought for a moment, "about a Sunshimmer Twinkle, was it?"

"Sunset Shimmer," said Twilight as politely as she could, growing more frustrated. She had thought the couple might be like this, but this was even worse than she had feared. "I was merely wondering if you had seen your daughter after she had vanished over a decade ago."

"No," said Morning Sunrise uncaringly, shrugging. "We're not paying you back if she owes you money or anything."

Twilight breathed heavily through her nose and let it out slowly before shaking her head. "Thank you for your time but that was all I needed." She turned away and left before the couple could say anything else but as the front door closed behind her anyway, she doubted she missed anything.

Well, that was at least partially what she expected but forgetting their own daughter's name? That was a new low for someone to show off and she seriously wondered if she could get anymore out of Princess Celestia. She doubted it and she had other things to worry about, but now she had confirmation about why Sunset hadn't wanted to come back to Equestria just yet.

She didn't have a place to go back to, really.

Twilight shook her head at the insensitivity of some ponies as she walked home, wondering what she would find when she opened the door. Her princess of friendship powers were telling her that she should avoid Shining for the moment as he was still miserable and needed time alone now. At least her parents were taking the divorce between their son and daughter-in-law better than hoped for, honestly.

"Mom, dad, I'm back!"

"Twilight!" Said Spike, grateful to see the Alicorn back from her trip into Canterlot. "Am I glad to see you back."

"Had to put a spell over Shining's door," said Night Light, Twilight's father, as he entered the front room, "should stop the house from flooding under Shining's tears."

"Your father's only partially joking," said Twilight Velvet as she entered the room too, looking exhausted as she collapsed onto a nearby armchair. "I knew he wasn't the most…well, he-stallion around, but I think your friend Fluttershy can sometimes be more of a, well, dude than he is."

All three around her sniggered at that thought and Twilight had the mental image of Fluttershy wearing a backwards ball cap, sunglasses and riding a skateboard everywhere.

"He needs time to grieve, I get that," said Twilight, shaking her head. "But he can't wallow in misery forever. He'll come around and maybe he and Cadence will form a friendship again."

"Maybe," said Spike, shrugging.

The three adult ponies in the room nodded to him and Twilight looked at her mother. "Mom, can we talk for a moment?"

Night Light and Spike got the message loud and clear and left the room, leaving the two mares alone in the room. Twilight sat down as well and waited for Velvet to recover from her headache enough to look at her.

"Mom, I was curious about that mare I told you about yesterday, Sunset Shimmer?" Velvet nodded with a look of curiosity on her face and Twilight continued. "Like I said before, I didn't think she had the best home life when she was here in Canterlot and did some digging. I just come back from a short visit to Sunset's parents' house and…" She sighed and her ears drooped, hanging her head sadly.

"They barely remembered her," Twilight finished and Velvet's expression turned sad too, looking empathetic.

"They didn't remember they had a daughter?"

"I think it was like she was so low on their priority list, they just didn't feel any reason to remember anything about her," said Twilight, looking slightly distressed. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, still looking at the floor. "Mom, I never say I love you enough but-"

She was cut off when Velvet suddenly wrapped her forelegs around her, hugging her for all she was worth. "Love you too, sweetie."

Twilight smiled back and returned the hug, missing these moments between them that had tapered off over the years. Her years studying under the princess, school work, her time in Ponyville and her ascension to Alicornhood had left her with little time with her parents and she needed hugs like this to remind her of what was truly important.

With one last squeeze, they separated and Velvet looked at Twilight with a small grin. "You know, if this Sunset mare is as important as you claim she is, I wouldn't mind if you brought her here for a while."

Twilight blinked as she processed her mother's words and meaning behind them before she blushed at the insinuation. "Mom!"

XXXXXX

Gathering their belongings to head back to the train didn't take long and Danielle was ushering Riley into the train car with no problem. While the car wasn't as empty as it was on their way to Canterlot the previous day, there were more than a few empty seats. Riley wasted no time in getting a window seat as she looked out, disappointed that the only thing she could see was the refueling station at the moment.

"We should be moving out soon, Riley," said Danielle, sitting opposite her with a smile. "Now, how do you want to set up the train set?"

Riley's disappointed expression turned eager in an instant. "Where are we going to set it up?"

"Well, there is a basement in the house that isn't being used right now that should have plenty of room," mused Danielle, thinking it over. "We could make a circular track and make everything like trees, mountains, ponies, and the like around it."

Riley's eyes gleamed and she nodded, already wondering what it would be like when it was finished. Danielle hadn't really seen those huge model train sets she had heard about but this could be an interesting and cute project with her adopted daughter.

The train started moving a few minutes later and they were on their way back to Ponyville. It wouldn't take long to get there and it was only about three in the afternoon so they had plenty of time to get home before it got dark.

Riley had started looking out the window as soon as the train started but grew more curious about various things as they traveled. "Where does this train go? Like, all the stops?"

"Hmm?" Danielle was shaken out of her thoughts by the question and started thinking about it. "Oh, well, this train I know goes to multiple cities and towns in Equestria like Manehatten, Fillydelphia, Appleloosa, Los Pegasus and more. It would take a few days to get to those last two, though."

"Where are they on the map?"

"Those last two? Well, Appleloosa is in what used to be called Arizona back in my time. Rocky desert as far as the eye can see and not many living there but the bison and few settlers who try make it work. Los Pegasus is in what used to be called Nevada and actually not as bad a place as it was in the past."

"How?"

"Back when I was your age, it was called Los Vegas and it mostly catered to gamblers and adults wanting to have a fun time. It wasn't really a place for families to go unless they were just passing through to their real destination. Today, Los Pegasus still does cater to gamblers, but there are just as many family friendly attractions as there are for adults only." She leaned in close to Riley and gave her a look. "Don't gamble, seriously. It's just not worth it unless you plan on making a profession on it and even then, you could easily end up with nothing. Okay?"

Riley nodded, already not seeing any reason to gamble. She didn't even have any bits to gamble anyway. Still, the more family friendly attractions in Los Pegasus could be fun if Danielle could take her one day. "How many cities have you been to?"

"A lot," said Danielle, smiling fondly as she thought about it. "I've been almost everywhere at least once. I still find it strange that half of the countries I've been to have slightly different names than when I was your age or the same exact ones. What used to be called France back then is now Prance but Germany is still Germany. Japan still has its name but Saudi Arabia is now Saddle Arabia. It's really strange to me, honestly."

"What's your favorite city?"

That actually made Danielle pause as she started to think about it. "Not sure, to be honest. I really liked Maris, or Paris as it used to be called, but Maredrid was also very nice. I really do not want to go back to Barkelona as thanks to all of the Diamond Dogs there, that place was a mess."

She noticed that Riley hid a shiver at the mention of those dogs but didn't say anything, simply giving the filly a concerned look that Riley ignored.

"I'm still willing to take you with me if I travel around, you know," said Danielle, and Riley gave a smile.

"How many cities are for ponies and how many for other races?"

Danielle frowned in thought, humming slightly. "For the most part," she started, "Ponies are the dominant race here in Equestria and in Europe. While they have influence and towns and cities in non-pony based countries, it's not to the same extent. For example, Africa mostly belongs to the Cats and Zebras, but pony culture is still there as a wonderfully sweet pegasus was born there about…fifteen hundred years or so ago? Somnabula was really an inspiration to the other locals there and I think she is still seen as a local hero that the Cats and Zebras look up to."

The human frowned in thought again. "Griffins have a good portion of the land to the north of Equestria and their capital of Griffonia is one of their few cities that actually looks modern. Most of their towns and cities are run down, to be honest, and not in the best condition. But the griffins have always been more interested in combat and military effectiveness than in architecture.

"The other half of the land to the north belongs to the deer and yaks. Just between you and me, deer are really stuck up," Danielle said that last part in a stage whisper to Riley and the filly smiled, holding back a giggle. "Seriously though, most deer I've spoken to have no interest in anything that didn't have to do with them. Most just think that they're better than everyone else. Though their ruler, Princess Demeter, is a really sweet and caring person as she's just so understanding of everything around her.

"The yaks are…different, honestly. Much bigger than ponies, yaks are physically stronger than most and have their own culture. Extremely stubborn, they tend to not like anything different than what they're used to but if they take a liking to someone, they'll fight and smash anything their new friend points out."

"What about…Changelings?"

Danielle's expression turned a bit pained at the reminder of Chrysalis but smiled as much as she could. "Changelings are…strange as they don't really have a country set aside for them. My knowledge of them is out of date as I haven't met one in a very long time, but a thousand years ago, they had at least one hive hidden in secret in several different countries. Today, I know that there are far fewer changelings but I've heard there is a hive somewhere around the Equestria and Griffin borders. There might be another hive in a forest in the Equestrian Mid-West. That's all I really know of them today."

Riley nodded and went back to the window, lost in thought.

Danielle sighed internally as she looked out the window too. She didn't know how or with what, but she knew the changelings were cursed with something a long time ago and she had no clue of how to break that curse. There were also other races that had been around a thousand years ago that had, for one reason or another, went into hiding. The Kirin were one, as well as the hippogriffs. She had no clue of what happened to them, but she hoped that both races were okay, not wanting them to have gone extinct in the last thousand years.

Luckily, their long talk and the short ride meant that they arrived back at Ponyville a few minutes later. Taking the bag with their purchases in it, Danielle shepherded Riley off the train and cast a warming charm on them both to keep them safe from the snow outside. They were the only ones on the train that were getting off so it didn't take long before they were on the platform.

"Well," said Danielle as she looked at the platform with a small frown, "I can see that Cadence isn't here, so I guess she's still at the house. Shall we?"

Riley nodded and they headed off toward the house, neither of them noticing that two beings were following them for different reasons.

Danielle led the way through town, Riley on her heels, when she frowned slightly and looked around, trying to see or sense anything that shouldn't be around. Not picking up on anything, she continued to look wary as they continued to her house.

When they were about a hundred yards from the front door, a sudden voice got everyone's attention. "BONSAI!"

Turning around and quickly shoving Riley behind her, Danielle got into a combat stance just in time to see Lyra of all ponies wrestling a strange figure the human couldn't make out from her angle.

"Lyra!"

"Lyra?" Came Bon Bon's voice from the crowd, curious about what was going on.

Hands outstretched, Danielle caused both wrestling figures to levitate slightly before separating in opposite directions, stopping the fighting before it could get worse.

Danielle's eyes widened at seeing the figure Lyra had been fighting. The figure, Danielle couldn't tell if it was male or female, was pony shaped but it was constantly dripping with dark magic, hiding what it truly looked like. She doubted that it was an illusion spell as well.

"What is-"

The strange figure simply hissed at her before vanishing from Danielle's grip, making the human blink. That hadn't been teleporting or even apperition but it had simply disappeared.

"Lyra?" Asked Danielle as she lowered her to the ground with no effort, "What was that?"

"I dunno," said the unicorn mare, shrugging. "I just noticed it was following you and wanted answers."

"And so you tackled and started wrestling it without knowing what it was," finished Danielle. She sighed, "while I thank you for doing so, that was also dangerous. Find some way to tell me so I can handle it next time, okay?"

"As fascinating as this is," said Bon Bon, looking at Lyra with narrowed eyes. "How were you able to see that thing from the ground, Lyra?"

Lyra looked sheepish and rubbed the back of her head with a foreleg, eyes darting around. "Uh…I wasn't on the ground?"

"Were you on the rooftops spying on Danielle again?"

Everyone stared at the human obsessed mare and Lyra chuckled nervously. "…No?"

Danielle gained a deadpanned look and sighed again. "Don't do that, Lyra. Seriously."

"I found out it was following you, though," Lyra pointed out and Danielle shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. Don't spy on me. Ever." Danielle looked out at the crowd of Ponyville locals. "Alright, show's over and we're trying to get home, you should do the same."

The crowd of ponies all muttered amongst each other as they left back to their homes or businesses, leaving Danielle and Riley alone again. Bon Bon had dragged Lyra off with a promise to talk to her about stalking…again.

"So," said Danielle, looking at Riley, "who wants to build a train set with me?"

Riley smiled, but it wasn't as powerful as before, proving that she was still worried about what just happened. Danielle's expression softened as they walked back to the house through the snow.

"Riley, the house has multiple magical barriers that prevents beings of dark magic from getting in. As it is right now, it's one of the most well protected buildings this side of Equestria. You'll be safe there, okay?"

The small filly nodded, her expression perking very slightly, as they entered the house. It seemed the commotion outside hadn't bothered Cadence or Flurry at all as they were both taking a nap on the comfortable couch, spread out and cuddling together with a blanket over them.

Chuckling, knowing that Cadence won't have to worry about Shining now, she led Riley to a partially hidden door in the kitchen that revealed the basement. Only slightly nervous of a dark and unexplored, to her, basement, Riley followed her guardian down the stairs as Danielle turned on the lights.

It…actually wasn't as bad as Riley had feared once she was able to look around with plenty of light to spare.

The basement was a square room that was almost as large as the ground floor above that held the essentials for any modern house to have. A water heater in the corner, various tools on shelves along one of the walls, a few tables and chairs folded next to them and that was about it.

Looking at the center of the room, Danielle frowned as she pulled out the train set they had got from the toy store. "How large do you think the table should be, you think?" Asked Danielle, at least slightly rhetorically. "The box says it has about twenty-five feet of track, but I'm sure we can do a bit better than that, huh?"

"You can add more track?" Asked Riley.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, no problem," said Danielle as she started mentally going over everything. "Permanent duplication spells on the track we have to make more is no big deal for me. Now then, let's try this size and go from there."

It didn't take much concentration for her to conjure a circular table in the center of the room about ten feet in diameter. Another flick of the wrist and the middle of the table vanished, leaving the table looking like a large ring. Then, noticing Riley's height, she lowered the table to better fit a filly.

"So, Riley, how do you want to decorate our track?" She held out the box with a smile and Riley smiled as well, both of them working out how they wanted the fake landscape and the track to go. Adding fake grass and mountains, they laid down the track along the circular table while adding tunnels, rivers, trees and more. Thanks to magic, they had more than enough track for whatever they wanted and it was coming along very nicely.

Stopping only so Danielle could make dinner, Riley still looked like she had had a lot of fun by the time they came out of the basement.

"I take it you two were having a good time?" Asked Cadence as the human and filly emerged, both smiling and giggling at some unknown joke between them. Using her Princess of Love powers, the Alicorn checked the parental bond between them and found that it was much stronger than it had been just a few days ago. While it still wasn't as strong as the one between her own and Flurry's, it was still very encouraging to see.

"We got a train set!" Said Riley excitedly, her tail whipping around and showing how happy she was.

"We're building one in the basement," Danielle clarified as she started getting things out for dinner. "What do you think about pasta, vegetables and Alfredo sauce?"

"Sounds good," said Cadence, agreeing with the meal. "So, a train set?"

"Riley really likes trains," said Danielle quietly, though still loud enough for Riley to hear.

"Danielle!" Cried out Flurry as she entered the kitchen herself, hugging Danielle's shin as said human started to cook.

XXXXXX

"Mistress, I have news from Ponyville. There was a hairless ape getting off the train station into the town proper."

Utter silence for several long moments.

"Leave me. I need to plan."

"Yes, mistress."

XXXXXX

Cadence wasn't a princess for nothing. She had been trained as Celestia's side student for years and had passed every test she had been thrown at with flying colors. Her ascension to an Alicorn had happened at an even younger age than Twilight's and she had managed to become a beloved leader to her own kingdom.

She could more than handle confronting both Twilight and Shining now that the magic affecting their minds was gone.

Eyes narrowing in focus at the door, the love princess didn't waste any more time and knocked on it, waiting. It didn't take long before the door opened to reveal Twilight Velvet, the mare blinking at seeing her before her expression turned from surprised to understanding.

"Cadence, it's good to see you," said Velvet, closing the door behind her to stand with the princess outside. "Where's Flurry?"

"It's good to see you again too," said Cadence, her tone softer than she had thought it would be, honestly. "Flurry's at the castle with Princess Celestia, just in case. Velvet, I need to talk with both of your children."

Velvet sighed heavily and looked back at the house for a moment. "Twilight is in the living room working on a short research project and Shining is still not seeing anypony in his old room. Cadence, please, have at least some mercy on them for everything they've done for you."

Cadence was silent for a long moment before sighing herself, closing her eyes as she did so. "I want to see Twilight, alone please."

The unicorn mother sadly nodded and led the way inside the house, hoping that the Princess of Love wouldn't do or say anything too harsh to her children. They both knew that the two sibling's actions weren't entirely their own, being manipulated by a being far older and powerful than either of them, but that didn't stop the princess from being furious at them.

Velvet gestured to a distracted Twilight on the living room couch before sliding into the background, not interfering in this meeting.

Cadence took in Twilight's frown as she worked on her project, piecing together several newspaper articles as she levitated them in front of her. The princess mentally sighed and made enough noise for Twilight to turn in her direction, simply kicking a nearby chair enough to draw attention.

Twilight's frown deepened before she looked at the sound of the noise, saw Cadence's flat stare, and her pupils shrank into pinpricks in fear, the articles she had been levitating dropped to the floor as the lavender Alicorn's concentration broke.

Cadence didn't react outwardly but using her power as an empath, felt Twilight's emotions probably better than the lavender mare could herself. Still, the pink princess was somewhat satisfied to sense fear, terror, self-loathing, and anxiousness at seeing her.

Twilight licked her dry lips slightly. "Cadence-"

"I take it you were cursed by Chrysalis," stated Cadence flatly, not betraying anything as she stared at Twilight.

She got a small nod back. "It's not an excuse-"

"It isn't," the love princess interrupted, inwardly cheering up slightly at sensing Twilight's resigned acceptance of that. Good, the young mare wasn't stupid enough to deflect blame. "You hurt me and more importantly, you hurt Flurry."

Twilight winced like she had been slapped, but didn't deny it. "…I…am so, sorry, Cadence. Those words I yelled at the two of you…"

 _'_ _Screamed it, actually,'_ Cadence thought but didn't say anything, letting the lavender mare continue.

"…It's not an excuse, but Chrysalis used magic on me. I couldn't help but hate you and Flurry for the smallest of things." Twilight's ears flattened in fear and depression as her tone became softer. "When Danielle broke the spell on me…I was hit by all of the guilt I should have felt all at once.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness. I just want us to talk to each other again so I can make it up to you in the future."

Cadence checked Twilight thoroughly with her Alicorn powers and could detect nothing but sincerity and hope for forgiveness in the future. Closing her eyes and sighing, she looked again and saw that Twilight was curled into herself, trying to make herself as small as possible while her gaze seemed glued to the floor, ears back in apology for what she knew was her fault.

After several long moments, Cadence approached and Twilight tensed, but didn't move as the older Alicorn approached her. "As much as I want to inflict some physical punishment," Cadence started slowly and deliberately, making Twilight wince at the words, "…It's just not in my nature to be violent. I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Twilight looked up slightly to see Cadence's sad smile and she could feel hope fill her.

"Not to mention," continued Cadence, "That you and your friends saved the Crystal Empire and myself from crazy villains so I'm willing to be more lenient than usual."

Twilight's shoulders slumped in obvious relief as she uncurled herself, lifting her head higher than before. "So…is everything forgiven?"

Cadence paused as she considered that, looking at the hopeful and pleading eyes of her favorite foal sitting client about two decades ago. "…Apologize to Flurry too and if she forgives you, you'll be welcomed back in the Crystal Empire the next time you're there."

Twilight fully smiled and nodded, very slowly standing on four hooves again. "…Thank you."

The princess of love nodded, never one to hold a grudge against anyone, especially against someone who had been cursed by a crazed and power hungry Changeling Queen.

Letting out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding, Cadence looked over at Velvet and the unicorn mother simply smiled sadly before gesturing toward the staircase and the two left the living room to the bedrooms on the second floor.

Velvet glanced over at Cadence the young princess simply focused on stairs in front of her, probably focusing on her next meeting. One that would be much harder than the one with Twilight below.

Reaching the second floor landing, Cadence wasted no time before she was standing in front of Shining's old room, hesitating. This would be the first time she saw Shining since Chrysalis' magic affected him, warping his personality into becoming something he wasn't. She honestly didn't know how this conversation would go.

Would she forgive him like she had Twilight and they could be a happy family again? Or would this cement the idea of leaving him for good?

Biting her lip, she was glad that Velvet seemed to know what was going through her mind and didn't rush her, nor was the older mother trying to get her back together with her son.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and opened the door with magic, walking into the completely dark room. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, she frowned as she tried to find Shining, knowing that he was here somewhere.

Rolling her eyes, she turned on the lights and she heard a whimpering groan from under the bed, making Cadence give an exasperated sigh. "Shining Armor, come out from under there." She tried to ignore the several waste bins around the room, all full of used tissues that Shining had clearly filled since the curse was lifted.

Shining didn't come out but he gave another sob and the sounds of crying increased under the bed. Cadence was glad that he was feeling miserable for everything he had done under that curse, but this was going too far. Trying to remain calm and collected, the Alicorn in the room mentally sighed as she tried a different tactic. "I don't hate you, Shining. Chrysalis is the one to blame and the one who put you under that curse."

That caused Shining to shift enough for him to poke his head out from the other side of the bed, allowing Cadence to see his miserable expression and puffy red eyes. "D, do you mean that?"

"Yes, Shining," said Cadence as patiently as she could. She tried not to let her irritation show that this was nowhere near the first time she had seen the stallion cry like this. Or even the fifth time. "Chrysalis put a curse on you when she was pretending to be me and it activated fully recently. She did the same thing to Twilight when she had been captured by her recently." She didn't like how saying that sentence wasn't that strange anymore.

Shining sniffed and came out fully from under the bed, showing that he hadn't showered in the last few days and that his mane, tail and coat were a mess. He also hadn't been eating recently if his complaining stomach meant anything. "So…"

"So that being said," said Cadence, staring hard at him, "our divorce was still finalized and I've found that we're both single again; with me having full custody of Flurry and my status of ruler of the Crystal Empire intact."

"…Oh," said Shining, not sure what to say about that. He looked around the room awkwardly as he continued to sniff. "So…we're not getting back together…?"

Cadence shut him up with a stare. "Shining, you weren't exactly the kind of stallion I wanted to marry. What we had in high school, it was fun at the time and it kept suitors away from me, but I never thought about marrying you back then."

Shining's expression fell slightly but he slowly nodded, seeing her point. They had married mostly for convenience and that it suited both of them at the time. They liked each other, they had been great friends and they cared about each other, but that had really been it.

Cadence really thought about it and she couldn't really think of any time that Shining had come through to save the day at all. He had been under Chrysalis' control for weeks before the wedding and while he was constantly under mind control spells, he had never broken free of them until the end. When Sombra had tried taking back the Crystal Empire, Shining had encouraged the crystal ponies to stay indoors but she had been the one to actually erect a constant barrier to keep the tyrant out, exhausting herself until help could arrive.

Had Shining really done anything prince-like that wasn't just waiting for his younger sister to save the day? He had been a decent Captain of the guard, but from what Cadence had heard, Captain Midnight was doing an excellent job as replacement. There was a reason that even though Shining had had the title of Prince, it was his sister that had both wings and a horn while he didn't.

Cadence sighed as she had a feeling Shining wouldn't be up for much talking at the moment. "That's all I wanted to say, Shining, that it's over. I'm going back to the Crystal Empire in a few days and you can find me then. In the meantime," she smirked as she turned toward the door, "I wonder if you remember that there was another mare that was interested in you back in high school."

She left the room, wondering if Shining would take her not so subtle hint. She was honestly expecting either outcome. Until then, though, she should get back to Ponyville and start getting everything in order for her return to the Crystal Empire.

 **I am sorry for all you Cadence/Shining shippers out there but I don't think I'm getting them back together. I left it up in the air, and these two are clearly two of the best pairings in cannon, but I just wasn't feeling it.**

 **Speaking of parings, I've already decided who I was going to pair the Mane 6 up with later down the road. Shockingly, I'm not paring Rainbow up with a mare. I know, amazing, but I'm not saying who it is. Some parings I get, like I love Applejack/Rainbow as they have a lot in common and their rivalry is the best in the series, but they're not getting together in this one. I would love if someone were to guess my parings, but I don't want to spoil anything later.**

 **I would still love suggestions on Riley's cutie mark as I have ideas, but nothing concrete on that yet. Next chapter should be the next episode of the show in cannon and how Danielle influences that. Let's see how she does against Starlight Glimmer and her crazed town of equal cutie marks. Until next time.**


End file.
